Susan Stiffelman, MFT, is an internationally respected parent educator, therapist and AOL/ Huffington Post Parent’s weekly parenting expert. Susan is known for her down to earth, parent-friendly advice on raising cooperative, connected and resilient children.

Ms. Stiffelman is the author of Parenting Without Power Struggles: Raising Joyful, Resilient Kids While Staying Cool, Calm and Connected, which was released in March, 2012 by Atria Books, a division of Simon and Schuster. Reviewers have described the book as “brilliant”, “essential”, and “this generation’s Dr. Spock.” It has been endorsed by notable authors including Harville Hendrix, John Gray, Michael Beckwith, Kurt Andersen, and Laurie David.

A highly lauded speaker, Ms. Stiffelman presents workshops throughout the country while maintaining a private practice in Malibu, California. Her colorful background make Susan’s presentations riveting and unique.

Susan is an adventurer: She took her 15 year old son on a two and a half month trip to Uganda, Tanzania, Australia and New Zealand. The trip included volunteering at the community outreach compound of former Black Panther Pete O’Neil, visiting Masai tribes, and spending time at village schools in both Africa and Maori establishments in New Zealand.

She’s an innovative teacher: She was employed as a private teacher for a family whose international travels allowed her to teach—and learn—what it means to be a global citizen from day to day experiences. The experiences shaped her understanding about what children can learn when given unbridled freedom and inspiration.

She’s a passionate educator, homeschooling her son until the age of eleven, taking him around the world—including India when he was two years old. He received a scholarship at American University where he is studying Peace and Conflict Resolution in their International Studies program after having recently completed a study abroad probgram while living with a Senegalese family in West Africa.

Susan’s an outside-the-box thinker: She taught herself Hindi as a teenager and when she ran out of acquaintances with whom she could practice her conversational skills, found a way to continue developing her fluency by calling people named "Singh" out of the phone book.

She’s a dynamo: Diagnosed with the ADHD label, she manages to accomplish more in a week than many do in months, juggling writing with maintaining a private therapy practice, conducting parenting workshops and telephone parent coaching sessions, all while being active in her community.

And finally, Susan is deeply committed to enjoying her life, living with appreciation and having fun. She has had a regular meditation practice since she was seventeen years old, and has always made the nourishment of her heart and soul as a number one priority.

Susan lives in Malibu, California with her son (when he's not off at college), her dog Rosie, and a full and grateful heart.