Brookwood: The Big Disconnect, with Catherine Steiner Adair

Glen Urquhart School in Beverly MA presents Pushing Pause on the Tech Takeover,

Brookwood is pleased to announce the second speaker of this year’s 4 to 14 Speaker Series is Dr. Catherine Steiner-Adair, a psychologist and clinical instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, who will discuss her latest book, [amazon B009NF6GT2 inline]. Steiner- Adair has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Discovery Channel, CNN, and PBS stations nationwide.

In The Big Disconnect Steiner-Adair’s discusses her research that has uncovered the alarming extent to which modern family life is being transformed, depleted, and fragmented by the relentless pull of easily accessible technology. Steiner-Adair says families are in crisis around this issue, and even more so than they realize. She says the “digitalized life” is taking its toll — altering the way children think and relate and pulling families apart. Not only do chronic tech distractions have deep and lasting effects, but children desperately need parents to provide what technology cannot: close, significant interactions with the adults in their lives.

“While parents and children are enjoying swift and constant access to everything and everyone on the Internet, they are simultaneously struggling to maintain a meaningful personal connection with each other in their own homes,’’ Steiner-Adair writes. “It is the parental paradox of our time: never has there been so much opportunity for families to plug in and at the same time disconnect.

And although she readily points to technology’s value and positive possibilities, she believes it’s time “to look with fresh eyes and an open mind at the disconnection we are experiencing from our extreme device dependence.

At Brookwood, Steiner-Adair will discuss topics addressed in her work such as “How the Tech Effect puts children’s development at risk,” “Pushing pause on the Tech Takeover,” and “Turning Tech into an ally for closeness, creativity and community.

She’ll also share real-life stories from her clinical work as well as insights and advice that can help parents achieve greater understanding, authority, and confidence as they come up against the tech revolution unfolding in their living rooms.

Steiner-Adair, EdD, is a clinical psychologist, school consultant, and author, and maintains a private practice in Massachusetts. In addition to her work as an instructor at Harvard Medical School she is also an associate psychologist at McLean Hospital. A highly sought after speaker, Dr. Steiner-Adair has spoken to a variety of audiences threw the years including educators, health professionals, PTAs, religious groups, and numerous national media outlets.

When: 
January 30, 2014, at 7 p.m.
Location: 
Prices: 
$10
Phone: 
(978) 526-4500
Landmark Summer Program at Landmark School in Beverly Massachusetts

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Barnyard Story Hour at Appleton Farms

Kids can meet the barnyard animals and hear a story at Appleton Farms in Ipswich Massachusetts.
Barnyard stories really come alive when you get to see the main characters in real life! Bring the kids down to Appleton Farms for our farm-fresh version of story time. Explore the farmstead, visit our learning garden, see our cows and rabbits, and find a spot to play under a shady tree in our...
10:30 am to 11:30 am

Saturday, February 7

NSNP Saturday Srolls at Choate Farm

Come to Choate Farm in Danvers Massachusetts to learn some basic Winter Survival Skills with your family!
Do you and your family have what it takes to survive out in the wilderness?
10:00 am to 11:30 am

CraneExplorer: Valentine's Coastal Craft

Make Valentines crafts from materials that we find along the shore at the Trustees of Reservations Crane Estate in Ipswich, Massachusetts
The Trustees of Reservations invites ages 12 and up to a valentine craft making workshop! This Valentine’s Day, give a gift from the sea! From seaweed pressings to shell collages, beach treasures make beautiful greetings and keepsakes. Join this workshop to learn fun craft ideas and make marine art...
10:00 am to 12:30 pm

CraneOutdoors: The Castle Hill Hike

CraneOutdoors: The Castle Hill Hike at the Crane Estate in Ipswich Massachusetts
Come explore the lesser-visited corners of Castle Hill and its surroundings with us this season. This hike is a CraneOutdoors guide favorite because it’s got a little bit of all the things that make the Crane Estate such a special place…
10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Music and Movement at North Shore Children's Museum

North Shore, North Shore Childrens Museum in Peabody MA
Music and Movement with Marybeth Maes is an engaging music and movement class for young children at the North Shore Children's Museum. Marybeth brings her guitar and instruments for the children to use while they sing, dance, and play.
10:00 am to 11:00 am

Children's Maple in the Barnyard at Appleton Farms

Visit Appleton Farms' sugaring operation and learn about making maple sugar syrup!
Maple Season is here! This special program for ages 3-11 & their families will focus on the magic of maple from start to finish. We will discover this tradition by observing trees, tasting sap, learning the tools involved, and finally, tasting the sweet product. We will make sure to have time...
10:45 am to 3:00 pm

Bald Eagles in the Wild for Teens

Teens are invited to Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport Massachusetts to learn about eagles and their behaviors. Photo: Bill O'Connor
Head to the most popular spots to search for Bald Eagles. Learn how to spot an eagle in flight, observe their behaviors, and learn how to identify Bald Eagles at different stages of life. Use binoculars, field scopes, and bird guides. Stay active and warm with group challenges about wingspan and...
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Sunday, February 8

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Salem's So Sweet Festival

Salem Massachusetts' retailers have some sweet surprises in store during the Salem's So Sweet Weekend Festival
Salem Main Streets and the Salem Chamber of Commerce invite you to come enjoy the annual Salem’s So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival – a decadent tradition of delectable chocolate, sparkling ice sculptures, and Valentine’s Day shopping! Now in its 24th year, Salem’s So Sweet has become...
9:00 am to 10:00 pm

Watching the Coastal Edge at Halibut Point

Tour the WWII era observation tower at Halibut Point State Park in Rockport Massachusetts.
Meet at the Halibut Point State Park visitors center to learn about the role Halibut Point has played in America’s military history. One day after the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack, U.S.
11:00 am to 12:30 pm

Amesbury Winter Market

Amesbury Winter Market Daze at Barewolf Brewing January 11-February 8, 2026
Amesbury Market Daze is your friendly local community marketplace. We take pride in curating a marketplace that showcases local art and food from talented local artisans, chefs, farmers, creators and curators of surrounding Amesbury, Massachusetts. Join us throughout the year to curate and foster a...
12:00 pm to 4:00 pm