The Faculty

Helen Fisher, Ph.D.
A Research Professor and member of the Center for Human Evolutionary Studies in the Department of Anthropology, Rutgers University, Dr. Fisher has conducted extensive research on the evolution of human sex, love, and marriage; and gender differences in the brain and behavior. She has written: Why We Love, The First Sex, Anatomy of Love, and The Sex Contract. Dr. Fisher is currently Chief Scientific Advisor to Chemistry.com. Using data on patterns of romantic attraction and marriage found on the internet dating/relationship site, her recent book, Why Him? Why Her?, describes why you fall in love with one person rather than another. For more, please visit Dr. Fisher's website.

Susan Johnson, Ed.D.
Dr. Johnson is an internationally acclaimed clinician and researcher in couples therapy as well as Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at Ottawa University and Director of the Ottawa Couple and Family Institute. She is one of the originators of Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT), now one of the best validated couples interventions in North America. She has written many journal articles and books about EFT: The Practice of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy, Attachment Processes in Couples and Family Therapy and, recently, Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy with Trauma Survivors. All are excellent contributions to the field. Her new book, Hold Me Tight, makes EFT accessible to the lay public. For more, please visit Dr. Jonson's website.

Barry McCarthy, Ph.D.
Dr. Barry McCarthy is a clinical psychologist and a diplomate in sex therapy in Washington, D.C. A tenured professor of psychology at American University, he has written more than 85 professional articles, 22 book chapters, and 14 books for the general public including Discovering Your Couple Sexual Style, Men’s Sexual Health, and the best-selling Rekindling Desire. His latest book is Enduring Desire. Dr. McCarthy has also presented over 250 professional workshops worldwide. He is well-respected for teaching clinicians to integrate sex and couples therapy in a psychobiosocial approach.

Pepper Schwartz, Ph.D.
Dr. Schwartz is a professor of Sociology at the University of Washington. She is a past president of the Society for the Study of Sexuality and a charter member of the International Academy of Sex Research. She helped create the Personality Profiler for the dating website PerfectMatch.com, and is a sexuality adviser for WebMD.com. Author of numerous books, scholarly journal articles, and a television personality on the subject of sexuality, her bestselling popular books are: Prime: Adventures and Advice on Sex, Love, and the Sensual Years; Everything You Know About Love and Sex Is Wrong; and Ten Talks Parents Must Have with Their Children About Sex and Character. For more, please visit Dr. Schwartz's website.

Stan Tatkin, Psy.D.
Dr. Tatkin is an assistant clinical professor at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine. He is a contributing editor to A Reader’s Guide to Intersubjective Neurobiology, and is the coauthor of Love and War in Intimate Relationships. He has developed a unique approach to couples therapy using attachment theory, neuroscience and principles of arousal and affect regulation. His model integrates principles of early attachment with adult romantic relationships. He has become an extremely popular, stimulating presenter, teaching therapists his innovative approach. For more, please visit Dr. Tatkin's website.

Conference Directors
Judith Zucker Anderson, Ph.D. Dr. Anderson is an Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, UCI and on the adjunct faculty at Alliant University. A clinical psychologist and well-known couples and family therapy teacher, she is recognized as an expert on divorce, remarriage, and blended families. She is also the Founder and President of the Foundation for the Contemporary Family, a nonprofit foundation whose mission is to support innovative clinical training, research and education in couples and family therapy. For more, please visit Dr. Anderson's website.

Marion F. Solomon, Ph.D. Dr. Solomon is the Co-Founder and Director of Clinical Training at the Lifespan Learning Institute as well as an Instructor, UCLA Department of Psychiatry, David Geffen School of Medicine. She is also senior extension faculty, UCLA department of Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences. She is the author of Narcissism and Intimacy; Lean on Me: The Power of Positive Dependency in Intimate Relationships; and co-editor of Countertransference in Couples Therapy and Healing Trauma.