Greetings!
For the past 30+ years, my work as a clinical psychologist, researcher, author and consultant has converged on one fundamental mission:
Ensuring that today’s students – our children – have not just the technological tools they need as they inherit the AI future, but the tools of our humanity – the empathy, ethics, social and emotional intelligence and DEI competencies they need to survive and thrive in our ever-changing interconnected world.
Since the 2013 publication of her award-winning book, The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age (a Wall Street Journal Best Nonfiction Book of 2013, since published in Spanish, Italian, Mandarin, and Korean), Dr. Steiner-Adair has consulted internationally to help schools, parent organizations, governmental agencies, corporations and health professionals strengthen the psychological health and wellbeing of students, and minimize the neurological, psychological and social fallout tech poses at each stage of development, pre K-12.
Along with her work as a consultant, Catherine continues to deepen her 30+ year practice as a clinical psychologist working with individuals, couples and families. Her psychotherapy work has moved online since the pandemic.

ARE YOU…
- Stressed about summer and wondering how your family will manage?
- Completely burned out from the demands placed on you as a parent in recent months?
- Needing support around how to talk with children about race and the protests?
- Craving practical strategies for helping your child (and your family) thrive and prepare for what’s next?
WHAT IS PARENTING IN PLACE?
PARENTING IN PLACE is a limited engagement live masterclass series from a new collective of prominent thought leaders in parenting, neuroscience, education, and well-being.
After the past few months of quarantining, social distancing, and remote learning, and in an era of heightened racial strife, parents worldwide are in dire need of support.
Camps are cancelled or limited, travel is restricted, and our usual summer rituals and joys are not available — or not the same. Our children are trying to make sense of what they see in the news or in the streets in their city or town. Some children are sullen, angry, withdrawn, sad, or chaotic; others seem fine but parents worry how to stimulate their child’s development and support them emotionally, while preparing for the bumps ahead and educating them about these times.
We are a group of parenting experts, therapists, authors, educators and neuroscientists who feel passionate about helping families navigate these challenging times. We’ve come together to share our very best strategies and ideas for how you and your family can thrive this summer and also be ready for whatever comes next.
Children and Screens During COVID-19
On Schools and Smartphones
Consulting
As a school consultant, Dr. Steiner-Adair helps schools pre-K thru 12th grade strengthen their school culture and core curriculum through new programs and initiatives to support psychological wellbeing, social competence and leadership education of their students. Read More >>
Workshops & Training
Dr Steiner-Adair has been invited to present at schools and conferences throughout the United States, and in Europe, South America, Central America, the Middle East and Asia. Her audiences include students of all ages, educators and mental health professionals, non-profit organizations, industry and corporations, PTAs, YPOs and other leadership organizations, synagogues and clergy groups, camping and youth organizations, retreats and think tanks, and at organizational fundraising events. Read More >>
Talks & Presentations
Dr. Steiner-Adair speaks on a wide range of topics, including child development and parenting, health and well being, psychological risk and resilience, social and emotional intelligence and leadership education, gender equity, media literacy, healthy relationships on and offline and best practices for technology at school and home. Examples include… Read More >>
Testimonials
In the News
A generation of kids has used social media their whole lives. Here’s how it’s changing them.
By NICOLE KARLIS FEBRUARY 11, 2021 11:17PM (UTC) "In 2004, when Facebook was still known as "The Facebook," very few people could imagine that the social media platform would hold as much power and...
Four ways to help kids cope with the uncertainty of the new school year
Help them understand and manage their emotions. “The air is drenched with this amorphous kind of grief,” and loss can take many different shapes, says psychologist Catherine Steiner-Adair, author of...
Taming The Tech Effect
We are at a pivotal moment in our society’s use of the internet, smartphones and social media. This is especially true in educational institutions… by Catherine Steiner-Adair Click here to...
Digital Sanity Summit March 30 – April 3, 2020
Do you want to take advantage of technology without being consumed by it? The Digital Sanity Summit 2020: Navigating Technology in the Modern World of Parenting was created just for you. The...
Film to explore the effects of technology Oct. 19
ROCKPORT — The Camden Conference will present a screening of the short film “Like” at the Rockport Opera House, 6 Central St., Saturday, Oct. 19 at 2 p.m. The film reveals the effects of...
PREVENTING EATING DISORDERS
A HANDBOOK OF INTERVENTIONS AND SPECIAL CHALLENGES
-Ruth Striegel-Moore, Ph.D., Past President, Academy of Eating Disorders
“The strong connection between theory and research, the broad ranging and innovative examples of preventive intervention programs, and the specific recommendations for research and implementation, combine to make this a valuable resource for professionals and students.”
THE BIG DISCONNECT
PROTECTING CHILDHOOD AND FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS IN THE DIGITAL AGE
New York Times (Dwight Garner)
“I will never forget the experience of reading Ms. Steiner-Adair’s book. This is because it physically hurt to turn the pages. It was as if her palm were reaching up from the text to slap me across the face, the way Don Corleone slapped the singer Johnny Fontane in the first “Godfather” movie, telling him to be a man.
“Here’s why: Before she speaks about how to pry our kids away from their phones, tablets and laptops, Ms. Steiner-Adair looks parents quite sternly in the eye…Children, she declares, ‘are tired of being the ‘call waiting’ in their parents’ lives.’
“Her summary of what to say to your kids — it’s on Page 191 — is so good, so State of the Union-like, that I took a photo of it with my iPhone. ”
FULL OF OURSELVES
A WELLNESS PROGRAM TO ADVANCE GIRL
POWER, HEALTH, AND LEADERSHIP
Mary Pipher, author of Reviving Ophelia and Hunger Pains
“This well-reasoned, carefully researched, and creative approach to teaching girls lifelong wellness could change the world for the Ophelias of America. Its authors offer educators that most useful of gifts―practical, immediate help.”