Martha Heineman Pieper, Ph.D., is a psychotherapist who works with children and parents, and serves as a consultant to agencies and other mental health professionals. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Radcliffe College, she earned her doctorate at the University of Chicago.

The late William J. Pieper, M.D., was a child psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who also worked with children and parents and consulted with other mental health professionals. He received his B.S. and M.D. degrees from the University of Illinois.

The Piepers’ decades of experience as professionals and their pathbreaking research into the causes and effects of children’s inner happiness form the foundation for their books. Smart Love is the guiding principle for Smart Love Family Services 
(www.smartlovefamily.org), a not-for-profit agency that provides psychotherapy services, parent education, and toddler and preschool programs. Parents of five, the Piepers live in Chicago, Illinois.