About The Institute

Who We Are

The Option Institute is a not-for-profit educational organization founded in 1983 by best-selling author (Happiness Is A Choice) Barry Neil Kaufman and Samahria Lyte Kaufman. We have 80 teachers and...

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Autism Awareness

The Autism Treatment Center of America, home of The Son-Rise Program®, has helped more than 22,000 families discover an extraordinary unity and caring in coping with Autism. Children treated in T...

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The Option Institute Campus

Welcome! We've gathered together some information about the Berkshires and The Option Institute Campus so that you would have the most loving, nurturing and comfortable experience possible. This secti...

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Featured Workshops

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Receive a free copy of our introductory CD, "Mastering Life's Challenges" along with our catalog of Option Institute Programs! They will give you detailed information about The Option Institute and al...

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Grand Summer Sequence

This sequence of personal growth programs provides the perfect opportunity to both get away from it all, and to totally reconstruct yourself from the inside out, deeply examining and retooling every a...

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Volunteer

Want to make a huge difference in the lives of others while treating yourself to the experience of a lifetime? Want to work side by side with an amazing group of like-minded people from all over the...

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The Happiness Option

How often has someone asked how you’re feeling and you’ve replied, “OK”, when you really felt stressed or overwhelmed. How would you like it if you could say “I’m doing great!” and mean it . . . Really! Empirical studies have shown that people who are happy perform better at work, have stronger rel...

09/10/09 - 09/13/09

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Becoming a Force of Nature

Barry Neil Kaufman explains how you can create more love and power in your life.
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News and Events

LIVE VIDEO INTERVIEWS!!!

What challenges are you facing? You are not alone. Click on the interviews below to watch interviews on "Stepping out of Depression" and "Finding tools to help with Anxiety" and so much more. Learn mo...

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NEW! Q &A AUDIO

Beliefs for Inspired Living “Bears”, Barry Neil Kaufman, Teacher, Author, & Co-Founder of The Option Institute, takes questions from participants in The Option Institute’s programs. 1. ...

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Congratulations to our Certified Mentor Class of 2009!

Join us in congratulating our newest Option Process Certified Mentors. These graduates have each mastered The Option Process Dialogue, a proven, acclaimed technique that offers an unparalleled capac...

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New Tools to Face Life's Challenges

“Without a doubt, this past year was the most difficult year I've experienced in my life. The woman I wanted to marry left me; I was in the middle of a career change; my uncle died; and my mother was diagnosed with cancer. I came to The Option Institute confused and searching for new ways to deal with everything that was happening. In the fall,...”

Tim Suh, Information Technology Consultant, Illinois

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Panic Attacks

“Seven years ago, in the midst of leading an extremely active life - a life that included traveling, rigorous dance training, and a full-time commitment to my writing - I developed what the doctors and the media called 'panic attacks'. The symptoms of these attacks were considered classic, but to me they never seemed classic at all; all of it seemed...”

Lorraine W., Freelance Writer, California

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Getting Off Prozac

“I have suffered from depression for the last 17 years. For a long time, I thought Prozac was the only solution. I struggled with feelings and judgments of my own self-worth and what I believed I could and couldn’t have. I questioned my role as a mother, a woman, and an African-American, all because I believed that I was stuck with my life and my pa...”

Linda Craft-Smith, Party Planning Director, California

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