Dr. Heitler is best known in the therapy community for bringing understandings of conflict resolution to the professional literature on psychotherapy. In addition Dr. Heitler has also written multiple self-help books for the general public.
- Prescriptions Without Pills: For Relief from Depression, Anger, Anxiety and More offers treatment strategies that can be used by therapists and also as self-help.
- David Decides About Thumbsucking, Dr. Heitler’s first book, helps children end detrimental sucking habits.
- From Conflict to Resolution, offers an integrative theory of psychopathology and treatment. It also has introduced therapists worldwide to the process of win-win conflict resolution.
- The Power of Two , The Power of Two Workbook,.In Spanish: Poder de Dos, all teach the skills that enable marriage success.
- For therapists who would like to lead Power of Two Marriage Skills Workshops, Dr. Heitler has put together a complete Leaders Kit. The manual includes training materials, marketing suggestions, before and after feedback forms, plus a curriculum guide with detailed lesson plans for 12 90-minute sessions. The multiple interactive exercises in each lesson plan can also be used as stand-alone single-session workshops. Available on amazon.com.
Education
Dr. Heitler graduated from Harvard University in 1967. She earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from NYU in 1975.
Parental Alienation
Dr. Heitler’s website serves as a resource center for information about parental alienation.
Awards and Accomplishments
Dr. Heitler has been awarded Fellow status from the American Psychological Association and also from Division 42 within the APA.
From all the marriage therapists in the US, the editors of the master therapist video series Assessment and Treatment of Psychological Disorders selected Dr. Heitler to demonstrate techniques of couple treatment. Her video from this series, The Angry Couple: Conflict Focused Treatment, has become a staple in marriage therapist training programs.
The editors of the Psychologist Desk Reference selected Dr. Heitler to write the chapter on Treating High Conflict Couples.
Dr. Heitler’s 1997 book The Power of Two (New Harbinger) has been translated for publication in six foreign language editions for readers in China, Taiwan, Israel, Turkey, Brazil and Poland.
Dr. Heitler was invited to give the keynote address in Beirut, Lebanon at the 2015 1st Pan-Arab Psychology Conference.
Dr. Heitler is frequently interviewed in magazines such as Fitness, Men’s Health, Women’s World, and Parenting. Her cases have appeared often in the Ladies Home Journal column “Can This Marriage Be Saved?”
Denver TV newscasters interview her for perspectives on psychological aspects of current events.
In May, 2004 Dr. Heitler appeared on the CBS Early Show where anchor Harry Smith introduced her as “the most influential person in my life—my therapist.” He encouraged his viewers similarly to seek therapy when they feel distressed and to check out pre-marital counseling before they wed.
Dr. Heitler’s blogposts on psychologytoday.com have received over 24 million views. Most recently, in addition to writing about marriage and about emotions like depression and anxiety, Dr. Heitler has been focusing on educating the public about parental alienation and about new psychological treatments for chronic pain.
A U.S. Healthy Marriages Initiative grant enabled Dr. Heitler and her associates to produce an interactive online program for teaching marriage communication and conflict resolution skills. Hundreds of couples have benefited from this fun, low-cost, high-impact program for learning the skills for a strong and loving marriage.Personal
Dr. Heitler and her husband of more than 45 years are proud parents of four happily married adult children and grateful grandparents of sixteen grandchildren.
For more information
Visit Dr. Heitler’s psychologytoday.com blog at http://psychologytoday.com/blog/resolution-not-conflict
Visit Dr. Heitler’s prescriptionswithoutpills.com website for free handouts and videos to help you feel better when you have been feeling distressed.
