A Brief Biographical Summary

of Violet Oaklander, Ph.D.

Besides having raised three children of her own, Violet Oaklander is the author of the book Windows To Our Children: A Gestalt Therapy Approach to Children and Adolescents (which is available in thirteen languages), a new book, HiddenTreasure: A Map to the Child's Inner Self, several journal articles and book chapters for other people's books, as well as videotapes and audio tapes on psychotherapeutic work with children. She has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology; a Master of Arts in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling; and a Master of Science in Special Education with emotionally disturbed children. She completed three years of training with the Los Angeles Gestalt Therapy Institute and has been certified since 1973. She taught emotionally disturbed children in the Long Beach, CA school district for six years, and from 1972 until 1999 maintained a full time private practice in Long Beach, Hermosa Beach and later in Santa Barbara, CA.

Dr. Oaklander spent many years as an instructor for the extension program of the University of California at the campuses in Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, and San Diego and has been an adjunct faculty member of Pacifica Graduate Institute located in Carpenteria, CA as well as the California Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara. She has traveled extensively throughout the country and the world giving training seminars on her approach to working with children and adolescents. She lives in Santa Barbara, California, where she offers training, consults, and supervision to child and adolescent psychotherapists. Her annual July two-week training program (in its 27th year this past July) has drawn people from all over the world to Santa Barbara, CA.

Dr. Oaklander's unique approach to working with children -- which combines Gestalt Therapy theory, philosophy, and practice with a variety of expressive techniques -- has won international recognition and she has received several awards for her cotribution to the mentalhealth field.

Her new book, HIDDEN TREASURE: A Map to the Child's Inner Self, has recently been published by Karnac books in London and is distributed by Stylus Publishing in the U.S. (www.styoluspub.com).

Dr. Oaklander had her 80th birthday this past April and has made the decision to drastically cut back her busy work life.