She was born in Poland, and raised and educated in Switzerland. She gained her doctorate in 1953 in Zurich, Swizerland.
Her books include:
- Prisoners of Childhood: The Drama of the Gifted Child (1981) ISBN 0465062873
- For Your Own Good: Hidden Cruelty in Child-Rearing and the Roots of Violence (1983) ISBN 0374522693
- Thou Shalt Not Be Aware: Society's Betrayal of the Child (1984) ISBN 0374525439
- The Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self (1996) ISBN 0465016901
- The Truth Will Set You Free: Overcoming Emotional Blindness (2001) ISBN 0465045847
- Childhood Trauma
- The Political Consequences of Child Abuse
