Catherine Steiner-Adair

Dr. Catherine Steiner-Adair is a clinical psychologist, author, speaker, and consultant specializing in child development, family relationships, education, and mental health. Steiner-Adair earned her doctorate in clinical and consulting psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she studied girls' psychological development and education with Carol Gilligan. She served as a clinical psychologist and research associate at Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital of Harvard Medical School for more than 20 years and holds a position as clinical instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Early in her career, Steiner-Adair focused on girls' development and the prevention of eating disorders. Trained under feminist psychoanalytic theorist Carol Gilligan, she researched eating disorders in teenage girls, observing that boys often tied self-esteem to accomplishments and skills, while girls associated their worth with appearance or value to others. Steiner-Adair co-created "Full of Ourselves," a primary prevention program in which pre-teen girls receive leadership training and mentor younger girls to critique media images, address bullying, and develop a healthier sense of self. This curriculum, evaluated with more than 800 girls, was the first of its kind to demonstrate sustained, positive changes in body image, body satisfaction, and body esteem.

Steiner-Adair's professional focus later expanded to the impact of technology on young people, culminating in the publication of "The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age," named a Wall Street Journal Best Nonfiction Book. In this book, she examines how technology and media influence children's learning and development, offering guidance to parents on balancing the benefits and risks of technology at every stage. The book has been translated into multiple languages, and Steiner-Adair has consulted internationally with schools, parent organizations, governmental agencies, corporations, and health professionals to promote psychological wellbeing in students.

Steiner-Adair has consulted with more than 600 independent and public schools worldwide, focusing on equipping students with both technological skills and essential human competencies such as empathy, ethics, social and emotional intelligence, and DEI skills. She has authored three books, contributed chapters to works on child development, education, parenting, mental health, and technology, and published numerous academic papers.

As a media resource, Steiner-Adair has appeared on ABC, BBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, PBS, and NPR News, and has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Huffington Post, CNN Opinion, Time, and international press. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and maintains a private psychotherapy practice in Cambridge, Massachusetts, working with adolescents, adults, couples, and families. Steiner-Adair addresses parents, educators, policymakers, and corporate leaders on challenges facing children and families in the digital age, drawing on decades of clinical experience and research in psychology, education, and technology.