Catherine Steiner-Adair

Dr. Catherine Steiner-Adair is a clinical psychologist, author, speaker, and consultant.

An expert on the impact of technology on child development, education and family relationships, her focus is 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 will need to 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), 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.

Dr. Steiner-Adair works with students of all ages, parents and youth organizations, health and education professional conferences, YPOs and other leadership groups, NGOs, corporations, and organizational fund raisers, and also serves as a resource to the media.

Dr. Steiner-Adair received a BA in Philosophy and English from Bowdoin College and earned her Doctorate in Counseling and Consulting Psychology at Harvard Graduate School of Education while working as a school psychologist at Phillips Academy Andover.

Dr. Steiner-Adair was a Clinical Psychologist and Research Associate at Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital of Harvard Medical School for over 20 years. She has written three books and numerous academic papers and has contributed chapters to books related to child development, education, parenting, mental health, and technology. She serves on several advisory boards and is the Scholar-in-Residence at the Gardner Carney Leadership Institute.

Dr. Steiner-Adair is a licensed clinical psychologist and maintains a private psychotherapy practice in Cambridge, MA, where she works with adolescents, adults, couples, and families. She also does parenting consultations and coaching.