Your Perfect Right (hardcover)

Recently retired from a long career as a psychologist, marriage & family therapist, book author, editor and publisher, Dr. Alberti’s now inactive professional affiliations include licensure as a psychologist and marriage and family therapist in California, Life Membership and Fellowship of the American Psychological Association, Clinical Membership in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, and fifty years of professional membership in the American Counseling Association.

Sparked early by a stint as editor of his high school newspaper, Alberti's publishing achievements include eight books, newsletters for a number of organizations, dozens of articles, and the editing of more than one-hundred popular and professional psychology books by other authors.

His "formal" publications career began in 1970, with the first edition of Your Perfect Right, co-authored with Dr. Michael Emmons. That book, first (and often reviewed as the best) of dozens on the popular topic of "assertive behavior," helped fuel a virtual explosion of self-help books (and self-help book publishers!), and is frequently cited as a significant contributor to the advancement of women's rights in the US in the 1970s and 1980s. Now in its ninth revised edition, Your Perfect Right: Assertiveness and Equality in Your Life and Relationships has over 1.3 million copies in print in the US, and has been published in translation in more than twenty languages around the world.

Alberti also collaborated with the late divorce therapist Dr. Bruce Fisher on the third edition of Rebuilding: When Your Relationship Ends, a bestselling guide to surviving divorce, which has over a million copies in print and editions in ten languages. "A million families go through divorce each year in the United States. That's a lot of disrupted lives, a lot of pain, and a lot of human energy spent. Bruce left a legacy of at least a million more fulfilled lives and healthier 'second time' relationships," Alberti notes, "and Impact is carrying on his work with the Rebuilding Books series."

Much of Dr. Alberti's writing time in recent years has been devoted to working with authors as editor-in-chief (now emeritus) of Impact Publishers, the firm he co-founded in 1970. Under his leadership, Impact published over four million copies of a hundred-plus books and audiotapes in popular and professional psychology.

Also popular as a media psychologist, Dr. Alberti appeared on TV's "Donahue" (1975), "Oprah" (1990), "Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus" with Cybill Shepherd (2000), and on many programs in local markets around the country. His work has been featured in Time Magazine, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Human Behavior Magazine, dozens more magazines, newspapers, and other print publications. Numerous guest appearances on radio include interviews and call-in shows in all regions of the US.

Among his leisure and community service activities, Alberti plays trombone in a local community band and a “college reunion” big band, and has served in leadership roles in local volunteer organizations supporting libraries, schools, youth work, disaster mental health and emergency radio communications. "Helping folks to 'communicate' has been one of the central themes in my life," he observes.

Dr. Alberti and his wife Deborah celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 2008. They have two adult children and three adult grandchildren.

Dr. Emmons and assertiveness training became synonymous when he co-authored Your Perfect Right with Dr. Robert Alberti. Since 1970, he’s devoted much of his life’s work to furthering and understanding assertiveness. Although his focus on assertive living has taken center stage, he has been an innovator in terms of dealing with the whole person — mentally, physically and spiritually.

A lifelong meditator, Emmons has practiced daily, often in the garden by a Koi pond. This practice helped him form his approach to psychology and led him to develop the system he calls “meditative therapy.” The Inner Source: A Guide to Meditative Therapy, first detailed this holistic, eyes-closed method that facilitates an inner source to generate therapeutic and creative experiences. Meditative Therapy expands on this method as a therapeutic modality with wide ranging mental, physical, emotional and spiritual effects.

Emmons has enjoyed a varied career as a psychologist in private practice, a professor, a consultant, and a community volunteer. Although he has primarily served on California’s Central Coast, his impact has extended nationwide through various popular media and publications.

Dr. Emmons and his wife Janet, a Marriage and Family Therapist, share an office at their small ranch, “Dancing Oaks.” They have enjoyed hiking with their four adult children and six grandchildren. Emmons has practiced his assertiveness skills with equine partner, Sullivan. Dressage, based on fairness and respect, provided a natural extension of his passion for equality and relationships. He is often accompanied by his two Papillion side-kicks, Lucy and Lola, who have perfected their right to do exactly as they please.