ABOUT
Get to Know Us
and Our Approach
ABOUT US
Mira Kirshenbaum
Mira is Director of the Chestnut Hill Institute, now in Los Angeles. With her many books, including many national and international bestsellers, Mira has an international reputation as a therapist working with individuals, couples, and families. People from all over the world have come to seek her help, including royalty and people prominent in entertainment, business, medicine, law, sports, and, of course men and women in all walks of life. Mira has always made an effort to work with people who are disadvantaged.
Mira has lectured and done training at Harvard and made countless appearances on TV, radio, and in print. She’s appeared a number of times on the Today Show, CNN, and numerous daytime talk shows, and has been interviewed frequently in magazines such as Cosmo, Glamour, and Town and Country.
Mira was one of the pioneers of feminist therapy and family therapy in Boston. She was also a founding member of One Generation After in Boston, an organization for children of Holocaust survivors designed to educate the public about the Holocaust and the dangers of genocide and racism in general.
Throughout her career, Mira’s focus has been on giving people, particularly women, the tools they need to give themselves the lives they want and need. Her work has always been focused on empowerment within a full understanding of the person’s context.
OUR APPROACH
Why We Are Unique
Whether you are an individual, a couple, a family, or an organization, we have combined almost a hundred years experience helping people like you get what you need to make the changes that you are seeking.
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Success-based research. All of our books are based on research that looks at how real men and women have managed to successfully deal with the problems the rest of us struggle with, and then translating this understanding into tools the rest of us can use effectively.
Honesty and simplicity. So many self-help books are filled with hype and mumbo-jumbo. Ours are always based on telling you the direct no-nonsense truth and giving common-sense solutions proven to be effective with people like you in situations like yours.
A personal voice. Most of our readers comment on the voice we have in our books. They’re onto something. Our books are talked onto the page. They come straight from our hearts, as if we were actually talking with you.
A commitment to change. We have never seen our job as “listening to people” or getting lost in the past. Our goal is to hear people’s real needs and then go on to help them make real change in how they function in life, in their relationship, and in their relationship with themselves.
A comprehensive approach. If you look at all sixteen books we’ve written, you’ll see that they encompass a full range of human experience. For example:
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Should I continue to get more involved with this person?
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How can I make my relationship better with this person?
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My relationship is iffy—should I stay in it or get out?
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How in the world do you effectively parent a teenager these days?
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How can I make a life where there’s more “me” in my life?
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How can two people communicate difficult things to each other without making a mess?
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How can we keep our relationship going when we have no time for each other?
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How do we cope if one of us has an affair?
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How do you rebuild trust in a relationship when it's been damaged?
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How can a woman best understand the experiences of love she’s had in her life?
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What’s the best way to make difficult decisions?
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How can a person handle the emotional and psychological fallout from illness or injury?
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How can we make sense of the terrible or painful things that happen to us and gain something useful from them?
ABOUT US
Dr. Charles Foster
Charles Foster is Research Director of the Chestnut Hill Institute, now in Los Angeles, and has forty years clinical experience working with couples, families, and individuals. Dr. Foster has two degrees from Boston College, two years post-grad work at the London School of Economics, and a PhD from Brandeis, and he has conducted research under grants from the National Institute of Mental Health.
Known for his work with individuals and families, he has lectured under the auspices of Harvard Medical School, has worked with the Episcopal Dioceses of Massachusetts to train priests in how best to counsel couples, and has consulted with international organizations on family issues. He also been a full professor in the graduate school at Salem State University teaching courses in family therapy, advanced techniques in individual therapy, and multicultural issues in therapy.
Dr. Foster has been featured on the Oprah show and on a John Stossel ABC News 20/20 Prime Time special, as well as making numerous other TV and radio appearances.