This page describes Aletha Solter's workshops. Our certified Aware Parenting instructors (in thirteen countries) also offer workshops, lectures, and support groups. Please contact these people directly for information about Aware Parenting activities in their area.

Aletha Solter, PhD, is a developmental psychologist, international speaker, consultant, and founder of the Aware Parenting Institute (www.awareparenting.com). Her four books, The Aware Baby, Helping Young Children Flourish, Tears and Tantrums, and Raising Drug-Free Kids have been translated into many languages, and she is recognized internationally as an expert on attachment, trauma, and non-punitive discipline.

Please click on one of the following:

Aletha Solter's upcoming workshops

Sponsoring a workshop

Comments from workshop organizers and participants

Aletha Solter's 2009 Workshop Schedule

This information is updated frequently. Please check back again soon.

 

 

Advanced Workshop in Santa Barbara, California

July 11, 2009 (9 am to 5 pm): "Aware Parenting: an exploration of our emotions"

This is an advanced workshop for people who are already familiar with Aware Parenting. It will provide a supportive atmosphere for you to overcome personal obstacles that prevent you from fully implementing the Aware Parenting approach with children. Through a series of unique experiential exercises, you will have opportunities to explore your emotions and find connections with your childhood. These insights will help you become more patient, empathic, and non-punitive. This workshop is for parents, teachers, and others who are actively involved with children.

Prerequisite: All participants must have read at least one of Aletha Solter's books or attended a previous workshop with her (at least four hours). Enrollment is limited to 20 participants who have met these requirements.

The fee for this workshop is $125 per person. Click here for registration information.

 

Workshop in Santa Barbara, California

September 19, 2009 (9 am to 1 pm): "Discipline Without Punishments or Rewards."

For parents and teachers of newborns to pre-adolescents. Learn how to raise cooperative, responsible, and self-disciplined children without being either a dictator or a doormat. We will discuss the pitfalls of punishments and rewards, and review the basic techniques of democratic discipline with mutual respect between adults and children. Discover the three reasons for inappropriate behavior, and learn how to change children's behavior by recognizing and meeting their needs. Includes demonstrations and participation.

Location:

Continuing Education Schott Center, Room 30

310 West Padre Street

Santa Barbara, CA 93105

Sponsored by Santa Barbara Community College Continuing Education. This workshop is free and open to the public. Online registration begins August 18th. More information will be posted soon.

 

Workshop in Colorado Springs, Colorado

October 3, 2009 (9 am to 1 pm): "Discipline Without Punishments or Rewards."

For parents and teachers of newborns to pre-adolescents. Learn how to raise cooperative, responsible, and self-disciplined children without being either a dictator or a doormat. We will discuss the pitfalls of punishments and rewards, and review the basic techniques of democratic discipline with mutual respect between adults and children. Discover the three reasons for inappropriate behavior, and learn how to change children's behavior by recognizing and meeting their needs. Includes demonstrations and participation.

Sponsored by High Plains Unitarian Universalist Church, 1825 Dominion Way, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80918. The fee is $15 per person, $20 per couple. Pre-registration is recommended to reserve a place. To register, please contact Lori Stump at loristump@comcast.net or call the church office at 719-260-1080.

 

Workshop in Santa Barbara, California

October 24, 2009 (9 am to 1 pm): "How to respond to tears, fears, and tantrums."

Does your baby cry a lot? Does your toddler awaken frequently at night? Does your child have temper tantrums? Is your child aggressive? Does your child have fears? Discover the reasons for challenging emotions. Learn compassionate and effective ways to respond to a crying, angry, or frightened child, whether you are a parent, nurse, or therapist. Benefits of this approach include resolving children's sleep problems, reducing aggressive behavior and hyperactivity, and increasing children's self-confidence. For parents and others involved with children from birth to age twelve.

Location:

Continuing Education Schott Center, Room 28

310 West Padre Street

Santa Barbara, CA 93105

Sponsored by Santa Barbara Community College Continuing Education. This workshop is free and open to the public. Online registration begins August 18th. More information will be posted soon.

 

Workshop in Santa Barbara, California

November 21, 2009 (9 am to 1 pm): "Connecting with your teenager."

Do you have conflicts with your teen, feel a lack of connection, or simply wonder how to set limits without punishment? It is a myth that all teenagers need to rebel against their parents. With the tools of democratic discipline, you can enjoy a close relationship with your child through the teen years. Learn communication skills that facilitate conflict resolution and discover the important distinction between conflicts of needs and conflicts of values. There will be demonstrations and active participation.

Location:

Continuing Education Schott Center, Room 30

310 West Padre Street

Santa Barbara, CA 93105

Sponsored by Santa Barbara Community College Continuing Education. This workshop is free and open to the public. Online registration begins August 18th. More information will be posted soon.

 

Sponsoring a Workshop

Aletha Solter offers talks and workshops for parents and professionals on a variety of topics based on the philosophy described in her four books: The Aware Baby, Helping Young Children Flourish, Tears and Tantrums, and Raising Drug-Free Kids.. These talks and workshops range in length from a two-hour presentation to a full-day workshop. In addition she is available to give one-hour presentations for organizations as a conference or keynote speaker.

Aletha has given talks and led workshops in thirteen countries. If you wish to organize a workshop in your area, please contact her at (805)968-1868, e-mail: solter@awareparenting.com. (Click here for more information about Aletha Solter.)

Here are some of the most popular topics:

Two-hour presentations (includes time for questions and discussion):

1. "Why do babies cry?" Crying in babies (from birth to 2 years)

2. "Understanding tears and tantrums." Crying in children (from 2 to 8 years)

3. "Why do children 'misbehave'?" An introduction to democratic discipline and the three reasons for inappropriate behavior.

4. "Raising Drug-Free Kids." Five basic preventive parenting tips to help children stay away from drugs.

Half-day workshops (4 hours):

1. A four-hour workshop: "Discipline without punishments or rewards." This focuses on the three reasons for "misbehavior" in children from birth to pre-adolescence, and ways to resolve conflicts in a non-authoritarian manner. (This workshop includes all the information from the talk "Why do children 'misbehave'?", and also includes some information about crying.)

2. A four-hour workshop: "How to respond to tears, fears, and tantrums." This focuses on the reasons for challenging emotions in children, and compassionate and effective ways to respond. Benefits of this approach include resolving children's sleep problems, reducing aggressive behavior and hyperactivity, and increasing children's self-confidence. (This workshop includes all the information from the two-hour talks on crying. It is a shortened version of the full-day workshop on "Helping children heal from stress and trauma.")

3. A four-hour workshop: "Connecting with your teenager." This workshop explains how parents can have a close relationship with their teens throughout adolescence. It focuses on communication skills and non-punitive discipline.

Full-day workshops:

1. A full-day workshop: "Discipline without punishments or rewards." This focuses on the three reasons for "misbehavior" in children from birth to pre-adolescence, and ways to resolve conflicts in a non-authoritarian manner. (This workshop includes all the information from the talk "Why do children 'misbehave'?", and also includes some information about crying.)

2. A full-day workshop on "Helping children heal from stress and trauma." This workshop is primarily for professionals, but is also of interest to parents. It provides an overview of the sources and symptoms of stress and trauma, including a discussion of violence, hyperactivity, fears, attachment disorders, etc. The focus is on recognizing and facilitating children's spontaneous healing mechanisms, specifically crying, raging, play, and laughter. (This workshop includes all the information from the two-hour talks on crying.)

3. A full-day advanced workshop: "Aware Parenting: an exploration of our emotions." This experiential workshop provides a supportive atmosphere for parents to work on feelings of anger and guilt, and find connections with their own childhood. Prerequisite: previous workshop with Aletha Solter and familiarity with at least one of her books. (Limited to 20 participants.)

Dr. Solter can present all of these talks and workshops in either English or French. She can also give one of her two-hour lectures in Spanish ("Why do babies cry?"), and two of her two-hour lectures in German ("Why do babies cry?" and "Understanding Tears and Tantrums").

Comments from workshop organizers and sponsors

"Thank you for your great presentations. The feedback from your talks was uniformly glowing. You're a pro!"
Ed Hofmann-Smith, ND (The Natural Childbirth and Family Clinic, Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.)

"Thank you so much for your workshop. It was incredibly inspiring to me and I know also to the others who attended."
Jenny Hornung (Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.)

"As a mother and therapist working in Johannesburg, South Africa, the workshops were a reminder of how crucial it is to keep our children's spirits intact, right from the beginning. I was reminded of so many things, but especially the importance of connecting, holding and unconditionally allowing our children to express what they feel. Thank you for travelling so far to share your teachings with us."
Michele Wolhuter (Therapist, Johannesburg, South Africa)

"Thank you so much for your time with us in Sedona. Feedback from parents continues to come in on how helpful the workshop was for them, and how much they valued what you offered. I am very pleased to say that these families have told me that they are already putting to use your suggestions... The moms have expressed how thrilled they are to have partners who now understand and are genuinely excited about putting Aware Parenting practices to work within their families. What a truly valuable gift Aware Parenting is in a world in which we have lost touch with our innate nurturing instincts."
Charity Cygal (Director of the Red Earth Waldorf Kindergarten, Sedona, Arizona, U.S.A.)

"I am so grateful for you coming to Australia to spread Aware Parenting further round the globe. In particular, I was so impressed with your presentation style and how you found a way to include humour, research, your own experiences, practical suggestions, and also the experiences of the participants with their own children as well as with their parents. Your workshops reconnected me to the deep trust in each baby and child to do what they need to do, given enough aware attention."
Marion Badenoch Rose, Ph.D. in Psychology (Byron Bay, Australia)

"Congratulations for your elegantly clear presentation at the San Francisco Congress."
David Chamberlain, Ph.D. in Psychology (President, Board of Directors, Association for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health)

"I have gotten such wonderful feedback from those who attended the Florida workshops. You have not only changed our lives but the lives of many who attended...We feel so much more understanding, knowing now how our son will attempt to heal from various stresses and traumas. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, perplexed or angry, we feel more calm and thrilled to have some parenting tools to help him heal. The patience this kind of knowledge gives us is just amazing. It has also helped us to understand ourselves so much better. "
Kathy Brown (Founder, Parenting the Soul, St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.A.)

"I had the occasion to meet people who told me that they appreciated your talk in our Swiss village very much. As for myself, I was touched by the simplicity with which you presented the subject and gave your examples. I thank you for this model of authenticity that spoke to the heart of everyone."
Christiane Raboud (President of Parents' Association, Grimisuat, Switzerland)

"The people who came to your workshop in Geneva had nothing but good things to say about it. One woman told me that her husband said she was so much calmer and happier, and he asked what was going on. She replied that she felt so much different about her little ones crying that it improved her whole attitude."
Lisa Lindsey-Brandli (Kindermusic teacher, Geneva, Switzerland)

"Your talk in my town in Austria was wonderful! The audience was fascinated by your method."
Monika Lintner (Director, Parenting Center, Kirchdorf, Austria)

"I knew many of the 200 people at your Brussels workshop and people have been calling me to give me their positive impressions. Thank you for having opened up this enormous field of exploration and help for families. I wish you all the best, and specifically to reach more and more people in order to revolutionize our way of raising children. This is what a revolution is, isn't it? It's not always with noise and violence. Your actions are a part of this subtle revolution that I hope will make humanity more human, more aware."
Monique Somers (Therapist, Waterloo, Belgium)

"Your workshops here in the Netherlands were a real success...I liked your illustrations, the content, and your enthusiasm."
Hanneke van Hasselt (Therapist, Velp, The Netherlands)

"Wow! The San Francisco workshop was a fabulous success in all respects. You are a phenomenally experienced, knowledgeable, and charming speaker, and everyone learned a lot. Thank you so much!
Margo Braver (San Francisco, California, U.S.A.)

"Mexican parents were very happy to have you in Mexico. You opened hearts for respect and love for children."
Renée Guindi Cohen (Director of Música Prenatal, Mexico City, Mexico)

Feedback from workshop participants

(From the U.S.A.)
"Aletha is wonderful!!"
"Non-judgemental."
"Empowering."
"Very informative with concrete, realistic examples."
"Extremely knowledgeable and easy to listen to."
"Very personable. She related a lot of her personal experience."
"Entertaining."
"Respectful presentation."

(From South Africa) "By the end of the workshop in Johannesburg I made an internal commitment to never spank my sons again. For the first time I could understand that such authoritarian methods are actually disrespectful and harmful to children."

(From France) "Your workshop in Paris was an outstanding experience to me. I really enjoyed attending! I was surprised how openly participants responded to your workshop and discussed their own childhoods among each other."

(From Spain) "Many thanks to Aletha Solter for everything she has taught us in order to respect all the needs of our children." "The workshop has helped me become a better human being in all the facets of my life as a therapist and mother."

This page was last updated on July 2, 2009. Copyright © 1996 to 2009 by The Aware Parenting Institute. All rights reserved. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical (including copying to other web sites, and including translations), without written permission from Aletha Solter.