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Susan Stiffelman
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Susan Stiffelman embodies a unique blend of licensed psychotherapist, credentialed teacher, beloved auntie and down to earth mom. Her book, Parenting Without Power Struggles is based on her work with thousands of parents and children, from celebrities to everyday moms and pops.

Susan offers solid, rubber meets the road advice that has been thoroughly tested on kids of all ages and demographics. At the same time that she draws on her solid training and experience, her approach to raising kids falls into step with the spiritually-based understanding of people like Eckhart Tolle and Marianne Williamson.

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 she had also shaped her understanding of what a child can learn when given unbridled freedom and inspiration.

She’s a passionate educator, homeschooling her own son until the age of eleven, taking him around the world—including India when he was two years old—and educating him in such a way that he received a scholarship at American University where he studies Peace and Conflict Resolution in their International Studies program.

Susan’s an outside-the-box thinker: She taught herself Hindi as a teenager and when she rean out of people to practice her conversational skills, she began 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 her book with maintaining a private therapy practice, conducting parenting workshops, writing an online advice column, conducting telephone parent coaching sessions, all the while raising her teenage son.

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.

For more information, please visit www.parentingwithoutpowerstruggles.com or read Susan's Advice Mama column at www.parentdish.com

Blog Entries by Susan Stiffelman

How To Get Your Kids To Do What You Ask

Posted February 17, 2012 | 02/17/12 09:03 AM ET

Dear Susan,

I am just plain worn out over getting my six-year old to do the simplest things like brushing her teeth or putting on her shoes. Why can't she just say, “Okay, Mom” and get with the program? Why does she have to put up a fight about every...

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How To Get Children To Eat Their Vegetables

13 Comments | Posted February 6, 2012 | 02/06/12 01:01 AM ET

Dear Susan,

My step-children, five and seven years old, refuse to eat the healthy food I put on their plates. Their mother doesn't care what they eat and feeds them pasta almost every night. When they are with us, we try to serve food that is good for them but...

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Letting Go, Part 67

37 Comments | Posted January 26, 2012 | 01/26/12 10:58 AM ET

Today my son leaves on a road trip, driving back east to college with his girlfriend. Frankly, it's a big "ugh." I not only love my son; I like him. He's a great person, and I'm extremely happy when he's around. After four months in Africa and then ten days...

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Children And Lying: What To Do About It

47 Comments | Posted January 22, 2012 | 01/22/12 01:02 AM ET

Dear Susan,

My 4-year-old old granddaughter lies regularly. She makes up stories about things that couldn't possibly be true, looking you straight in the face as she tells something that is obviously a lie. I want her to grow up to be an honest person. What can be done?

Signed,
...

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Lily Curses On 'Modern Family': HuffPost's Parent Coach Weighs In

29 Comments | Posted January 18, 2012 | 01/18/12 09:22 AM ET

This week's episode of "Modern Family" already has people talking, and it hasn't even aired yet, because little Lily is going to (inaudibly) say the F-word.

How will Mitchell and Cameron react when their little darling lets loose with something so naughty? As daring as it is...

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Kid Hates Shots: How Do I Make Them Less Scary?

15 Comments | Posted January 11, 2012 | 01/11/12 12:58 PM ET

Dear Susan,

Every time I take my five year old to the pediatrician, she screams bloody murder when she has to get shots. Is there anything I can do that will make it less traumatic? She is terrified of needles.

Signed,
Dr. Mom

Dear Dr. Mom,

...

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How Do I Get My Kids To Come Down For Dinner?

1 Comments | Posted December 30, 2011 | 12/30/11 11:23 AM ET

Dear Susan,

Even though I am tired after a long day at work I put something together so we can all sit down for dinner together. The trouble is, my kids -- 8 and 14 -- won't come to the table unless I threaten to take away the younger one's...

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Jennifer Garner's Holiday Traditions

3 Comments | Posted December 23, 2011 | 12/23/11 01:12 PM ET

I recently sat down with Jennifer Garner to talk about holiday traditions, as well as her favorite cause, Save the Children. Her passionate support for this organization is fueled by her deep concern for children. Jennifer talked about how much she feels for the mothers that Save the Children supports,...

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After Divorce: Those Bittersweet Moments As Parents

Posted November 22, 2011 | 11/22/11 01:30 AM ET

A few nights ago I watched one of the "Parenthood" episodes queued up in my DVR list. The show is a gem; one of the most honest looks at the beauty and complexities of family relationships ever to grace the screen.

One of the stories in this particular episode had...

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Keeping Kids Calm Before -- and During -- the Storm

Posted August 27, 2011 | 08/27/11 03:02 PM ET

As unnerving as it is for parents who find themselves in Hurricane Irene's path, it can be terrifying for kids. When faced with a stressful experience, one of the ways children (and adults, for that matter) cope is to refer to prior times when they got through similar experiences. A...

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Why Has Go the F**k to Sleep Struck Such a Nerve With Parents?

Posted June 29, 2011 | 06/29/11 03:07 PM ET

I admit, it's funny. And there's another thing I like about Adam Mansbach's Go the F**k to Sleep: It exposes the underbelly of parenting -- that dark, secret part of us that needs a little time to ourselves when we can do grown up things -- or maybe just crawl...

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Get Over Feeling Stuck

Posted May 31, 2011 | 05/31/11 10:00 AM ET

I love what I do. I get to learn something new every day, participate in a variety of forums that let me share what I know about raising great kids without power struggles with parents around the world, and enjoy feeling appreciated for my work. It's a great life, and...

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There Was No Ugly Cry as Oprah Bid Adieu

Posted May 25, 2011 | 05/25/11 10:24 PM ET

There was no ugly cry. No over the top sentimentality calculated to tug at our heartstrings. It was simple. It was clean. And she was elegant.

Frankly, I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought that perhaps now that she'd made it relatively intact emotionally throughout her final season, Oprah...

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Embracing My Messy Home

Posted May 24, 2011 | 05/24/11 09:57 AM ET

I love that my house is messy. I love that there are dishes on the coffee table and socks carelessly tossed around the living room. I love that several slightly used tissues are peeking out from under the pillows on the couch, next to my son's ever-present guitar. And I...

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Talking to Children About Bin Laden's Death

Posted May 6, 2011 | 05/06/11 06:25 PM ET

Apart from parents who have taken extraordinary measures to isolate themselves from the world, there probably isn't a child alive who hasn't heard about the death of Osama bin Laden. Most of our kids know that killing is "bad"; the very fabric of our society is built upon the notion...

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What Makes a Business Successful?

Posted May 6, 2011 | 05/06/11 01:40 PM ET

In the course of helping organize a local movement to save one of the last remaining mom and pops in my town of Malibu, California, I have been given the opportunity to reflect upon what defines a business as "successful."

Generally, we look at numbers: Inflows, outflows, accounts receivable...

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It Matters...

Posted April 16, 2011 | 04/16/11 02:14 PM ET

A few days ago, while in New York, I went to an IMAX at the Natural History museum that simulated the world in prehistoric times. As the cameras allowed the audience to "fly" over the landscape, I began imagining how the creatures of that time would react to the landscape...

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Learning to Parent a Young Adult

Posted March 4, 2011 | 03/04/11 04:21 PM ET

1:30 am...

It's what my heart would sound like if it stepped out of my body and sang... hearing my boy singing, hearing traces of his dad's voice in his, and probably mine, and hearing/feeling/sensing that in his voice is life experience that has been his alone,...

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Even After Divorce, Love Can Be All There Really Is

Posted February 16, 2011 | 02/16/11 12:58 AM ET

I hosted a memorial at my house this weekend for a member of my tribe, a dearly beloved friend who had passed away suddenly. It was sort of a Big Chill event, but without the covert sex going on in back bedrooms.

Old friends gathered from near and far --...

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Technology and Schools: Should We Add More or Pull the Plug?

Posted February 7, 2011 | 02/07/11 01:44 PM ET

In a year in which schools have made headlines for every problem imaginable, one issue is slipping through the cracks, the consequences of which not only impacts our kids' education, but every aspect of their lives. Schools are lobbying for students' attention by embracing technology in ever increasing ways. This...

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