Ruth Bettelheim Ph.D.

About

Ruth Bettelheim, Ph.D., is a psychotherapist, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, life coach, writer, and lecturer specializing in the development of human potential.

She was trained at the University of Chicago and UCLA. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, USA Today, The Huffington Post, and many other publications.

Recent Posts

Sex, Marriage, and Prairie Voles

Our culture teaches that lifelong monogamous marriage is always best, but science tells a different tale, and can help us learn which mating strategy comes naturally to us.

How Monthly Payments Protect Children, Saves Billions

Personal Perspective: Child tax credits can reduce child abuse and forcible family separations and improve children's cognitive, emotional, and social development.

Mothers, Not Incubators, Are Best for Preterm Babies

Babies born early are typically placed in incubators, but many would do better on their parents’ chests.

This Is Your Brain on Loneliness

Prolonged loneliness can make us see social threats and rejection everywhere, but we can still find connections by changing our perspective.

The Joy of Endings

We celebrate the new year and graduation but often experience the end of a relationship or job as a devastating failure. Let's consider the growth opportunities they can really be.

How Vaginal Birth Transforms Mother, Baby, and Their Bond

Vaginal birth supports rewarding interactions—'bio-behavioral synchrony'—which are key to infant-parent bonding and have a lasting impact on children’s physical and mental health.

Born to Bond: Vaginal Birth Boosts Physical, Mental Health

The physical, emotional, and behavioral transformations of mother and infant triggered by vaginal birth support bonding and healthy child development.

How Fairy Tales Set Us Up for Relationship Failure

A relationship shouldn't be measured by its length, but by the happiness and growth it brings—even after it’s over.

What We Can Learn From This Revolutionary Divorce Court

When nothing else can get high-conflict parents to see eye-to-eye, hearing their children’s unvarnished truths creates breakthroughs.

Why “Senseless” Violence Doesn’t Exist

Understanding the surprisingly ordinary emotional dynamics behind gun violence illuminates what will and won't help us stop the killing.