Toni Raiten-D'Antonio is a psychotherapist in private practice, a writer, a public speaker, and a professor at the State University of New York Empire State College. Her background in social
In her private practice Toni emphasizes a client-centered approach that regards men, women, and adolescents with respect and encourages both autonomy and empathy for the self and others. For more see the "Private Practice" page.
work has trained her to focus on the study of the individual in social groups, large and small, with the goal of helping others find meaning and purpose in all aspects of life.
A former television and stage performer, she is also a much sought-after public speaker who has entertained, motivated, and educated college students, health care professionals, charitable groups, and the New York Jets football team. In her teaching and public speaking, Toni addresses a wide variety of topics ranging from the essentials of The Velveteen Principles to group dynamics, public speaking, family violence, mental health, the challenges of care-giving and body image. For more about this aspect of her work see the "Motivational Speaking" page.
Raised near New York City Toni, holds degrees from the University of New Hampshire and the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Before starting her career in psychotherapy and education she worked in television and theater. The mother of two grown daughters, she lives on Long island with her husband Michael.
As an author Toni has explored such provocative subjects as the decline of empathy and generosity in modern society and the epidemic of appearance-based bigotry fostered by cultural and economic systems that suggest there is no worse fate than to be ugly. Her first two books, The Velveteen Principles and The Velveteen Principles for Women, have inspired hundreds of thousands of readers worldwide and have been used to train professionals in such varied settings as public schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and state prisons. Toni's most recent release is called Ugly as Sin: The Truth About How We Look and Finding Freedom from Self-Hatred. For more information, see the "Books" page.
