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Alexandra Solomon

Alexandra Solomon

she/her
  • Adjunct Lecturer, School of Education and Social Policy

Contact

asolomon@northwestern.edu
2120 Campus Drive
Website
Curriculum Vitae

Organization or Lab

Relational Self-Awareness Lab

Academic Area

Human Development and Social Policy

Research Interests

Relationship and sexuality education for emerging adults; developmental trajectories of couples; infidelity; dating and breakups; marriage; the intersection of ambition and intimacy.

Biography

Alexandra H. Solomon, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice and an adjunct professor in the School of Education and Social Policy (SESP) at Northwestern University. She was previously a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Northwestern University until 2019. In 2025, Dr. Solomon celebrated 25 years teaching the undergraduate course, Building Loving and Lasting Relationships: Marriage 101. The course has received local, national, and international media attention, and she was selected by Northwestern University's Class of 2015 to deliver the Last Lecture during Senior Week.

From 2002-2019, Dr. Solomon served as a staff therapist and faculty member at The Family Institute at Northwestern University, where she taught and supervised in the Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy (MSMFT) program and maintained a clinical practice with individuals and couples. She was the principal investigator in The Family Institute's Family Business Project. Currently, she continues to lead the Relational Self-Awareness scholarship lab at The Family Institute, where she directs a team of graduate students on ongoing thought leadership projects related to clinician education and relationship education for the general public. Her ongoing clinician education work includes presenting at professional conferences like the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), Psychotherapy Networker, and Esther Perel’s Sessions Live conference.

Dr. Solomon has published numerous academic articles and book chapters and serves as an ad hoc reviewer for a range of academic journals and publishers. She is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Family Therapy Academy (AFTA). She presents locally, nationally, and internationally to corporate, academic, nonprofit, and military audiences on topics related to marriage and family, and she frequently contributes to major media outlets including Oprah Winfrey Network, The Atlantic, PBS News Hour, The Today Show, CBS Early Show, and NPR. Dr. Solomon is an instructor for MasterClass, co-teaching a class called “Using Ancient Wisdom to Solve Modern Problems” with philosopher Ryan Holiday and hosting the In Practice series which helps participants manage anxiety and improve relationships during particularly stressful times of the year.

She is an award-winning author of three bestselling books: Loving Bravely: 20 Lessons of Self-Discovery to Help You Get the Love You Want (New Harbinger, 2017), which teaches readers how Relational Self-Awareness can help them build healthy, lasting romantic relationships; Taking Sexy Back: How to Own Your Sexuality and Create the Relationships You Want (New Harbinger, 2020), a guide to deepening self-connection, honoring personal desires, and fostering authentic intimacy; and Love Every Day: 365 Relational Self-Awareness Practices to Help Your Relationship Heal, Grow, and Thrive (PESI Publishing, 2023), offering daily practices for cultivating curiosity and compassion in relationships.

Dr. Solomon received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Women's Studies from the University of Michigan in 1995 and her PhD in Counseling Psychology from Northwestern University in 2001, along with a graduate certificate in Gender Studies. During graduate school, she was awarded the Dr. John J.B. Morgan Fellowship and worked at The Family Institute as a research and clinical fellow. You can learn more at www.dralexandrasolomon.com.

  • Facebook at Dr. Alexandra Solomon
  • Instagram @dr.alexandra.solomon

Education

  • PhD, Counseling Psychology (APA Credited), Northwestern University, 2001
  • Certificate in Women's Studies, Northwestern University, 2001
  • MA, Counseling Psychology (APA Accredited), Northwestern University, 1998
  • BA, Psychology and Women's Studies, University of Michigan, 1995
    • Graduated with High Distinction and with High Honors in Psychology

Awards

  • Honorable mention, Consumer Book Award, Society for Sex Therapy and Research (SSTAR), Taking Sexy Back: How to Own Your Sexuality and Create the Relationships You Want, June 2020
  • Last Lecture, Elected by NU’s Class of 2015 to deliver Last Lecture during Senior Week, June 2015
  • Staff Achievement Award, The Family Institute at Northwestern University, December 2012

Select Publications

Solomon, A. H., Andreas, K., McCaslin, S., Nasserzadeh, S., & Mintz, L. (2025, November). 5 most popular therapist memes. Psychotherapy Networker. https://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/article/5-most-popular-therapist-memes/

Solomon, A. H. (2025, August 7). Navigating pace discrepancies in your relationship: Advice from Dr. Alexandra Solomon. Therapist.com. https://therapist.com/for-therapists/pace-discrepancies/

Solomon, A. H. (2025, May/June). Collaborate wisely. Psychotherapy Networker. https://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/article/collaborate-wisely/

Solomon, A. H. (2024, January/February). Work issues at the heart of couples' conflicts. Psychotherapy Networker. https://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/article/work-issues-at-the-heart-of-couples-conflicts/

Francis, S., & Solomon, A. H. (2024, April 18). Love letters to the field. Psychotherapy Networker. https://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/article/love-letters-to-the-field/

Solomon, A. H. (2023, September 11). The couple who changed me. Psychotherapy Networker. https://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/article/couple-who-changed-me/

Solomon, A.H. (2023). Love Every Day: 365 Relational Self-Awareness: 365 Reflections and Practices to Help Your Relationship Heal, Grow, and Thrive. PESI Publications. 
 
Breunlin, D., Russel, W., Chambers, A., & Solomon, A. (2023). Integrative Systemic Therapy for Couples. In The Handbook of Couple Therapy (5th Ed). 
 
Solomon, A.H., Martinez, C.M., Wren, J.E. (December, 2021). Becoming what you are seeking: Relational and sexual self- awareness in emerging adults, Family Process. 

Solomon, A.H (May 2020). Dating at Midlife. Psychotherapy Networker. 
 
Solomon, A.H. (2020). Taking Sexy Back: How to Own Your Sexuality and Create the Relationships You Want. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger. 

Solomon, A.H. & Yu, K. (2018). Carol Gilligan. In Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. New York: Springer. 
 
Solomon, A.H. (2017). 7 Secrets About Love from the ‘Marriage 101’ class. Today.com
 
Solomon, A.H. (2017). Loving Bravely: 20 lessons of Self-Discovery to Help You Get the Love You Want. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.  
 
Solomon, A.H. (2017). Hookup Culture. In Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. New York: Springer. 
 
Solomon, A.H. (2016). Inside Hookup Culture: Are we having fun yet? Psychotherapy Networker, Jan-Feb. 
 
Chambers, A.J., Solomon, A.H., & Gurman, A. (2016). Couple therapy.In The Handbook of Clinical Psychology.  Pinsof, W., Breunlin, D., Lebow, J., Solomon, A. (2015). IPCM and Couple Therapy. In The Handbook of Couple Therapy (4th Ed). 
 
Solomon, A. (2014). Renew Your Romance. O Magazine. 
 
Solomon, A., & Chung, B. (2012). Understanding autism: How family therapists can support parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.  Family Process, 51(2), 250-264. 
 
Solomon, A., Breunlin, D., Pannattoni, K., Gustafson, M., Ransburg, D., Ryan, C., Hammerman, T., & Terrien, J. (2011). “Don’t lock me out”:  Life-story interviews of family business owners facing succession. Family Process, 50(2), 149-166. 

Nielsen, A., Pinsof, W., Rampage, C., Solomon, A.H., & Goldstein, S. (2004). Marriage 101:  An integrated academic and experiential undergraduate marriage education course. Family Relations, 53, 485-494. 
 
Pinsof, W.M., & Hambright, A.B. (2001). Toward prevention and clinical relevance: A preventive  intervention model for family therapy research and practice. In H. Liddle, D. Santisteban, R. Levant, J. Bray (Eds.), Family Psychology Intervention Science. Washington D.C.:  American Psychological Association Press. 

Solomon, A. Stories of us: A qualitative study of sex differences in the relationship narratives of recently married women and men. Thesis (Ph. D.), Northwestern University, 2001.
 
Pinsof, W.M., Wynne, L.C., & Hambright, A.B. (1996). The outcomes of couple and family therapy: Findings, conclusions, and recommendations, Psychotherapy, 33(2), 321-331.