Dr. Robyn Silverman

Dr. Robyn Silverman, child development specialist, body image expert, sought-after speaker and award-winning writer, is known for her no-nonsense yet positive approach to helping young people and their families thrive. Her ground-breaking research at Tufts University on young women and plus-sized models is the foundation for her book, Good Girls Don’t Get Fat: How Weight Obsession Is Messing Up Our Girls & How We Can Help Them Thrive Despite It from Harlequin Books as part of their Fall non-fiction adult line.

Dr. Silverman has been a featured expert on Good Morning America, Nightline, The Tyra Show, NBC’s LXtv, Fox News, NPR, The Santita Jackson Show and the Dr. Drew Pinsky’s Radio Show.  She has been quoted in the Washington Post, The Daily News, Parenting Magazine, Prevention Magazine, Marie Claire, InTouch Weekly, Women First, SELF,  on hundreds of popular websites like Aol.com and U.S. News and World Report and on award-winning blogs such as Junkfood Science and BlogHer.

She has also been the body image and teen development expert for 18 books, including 113 Things to Do By 13 and 16 middle school trade books (The Strong, Beautiful Girls Series & The Guy’s Guide Series) for the middle school girls’ and boys’ market. She is also the expert in appearance discrimination and body esteem development for the Applied Developmental Science Encyclopedia, a handbook for psychologists. Dr. Silverman serves as an Advisory Board Member for Shaping Youth, a consortium of media and marketing professionals concerned about harmful messages to children, and serves as their Body Image and Character Impact Expert.

As a way to interact with girls personally, Dr. Silverman created The Sassy Sisterhood Girls Circle, a program for young adolescent girls that explores issues that affect body esteem and self-image.  It is designed to foster self-awareness, challenge stereotypes, counter trends toward self-doubt, and enable genuine self-expression through verbal sharing and creative activity.

An award-winning columnist, Dr. Silverman keeps in touch with parents, educators, and fans through her active Twitter and FaceBook Fan Page as well as through her blog which appears on DrRobynSilverman.com.  She provides popular teleseminars and coaching opportunities with parents; including a Spring 2010 collaborative project with best-selling author, Rachel Simmons (Odd Girl Out, Curse of the Good Girl) during which over 500 parents participated. Dr. Silverman presents nationally and advises educators who work with children and teens in the after-school market as well as during school hours on how best to help young people reach their potential and become leaders. She is the creator of Powerful Words Character Development, a character education and leadership development program for after-school programs that runs in 10 countries for children ages 4 and up.

Her overall philosophy is that young people are assets to be developed rather than deficits to be managed.  At the root of Dr. Silverman’s research, speaking, and writing is a profound compassion for young people and a determination to help them reach their potential, independent of societal constraints. “I don’t look at children and teens and figure out how to fix them. I want to motivate every young person to find her strengths and thrive.”

A native of New Jersey, she currently makes her home in Randolph, NJ with her husband, toddling daughter, infant son, and 10 year old dog.  She is proud to have built her family through the amazing process of open adoption.