About Dr. Curtin
I am a mother of four, a psychologist and a life coach. I have lived in Mill Valley for 18 years. I spent my youth in New York where I excelled both academically and athletically. In high school, I was a 14-time New York State Track and Cross Country Champion and a 2-time national champion. At age 18 I attended Stanford University and became a member of the Pac 10 Women's Championship Cross Country team. These experiences, the discipline and the focus required, as well as my awareness of the roads not taken, give me a unique understanding of the choices and challenges teens and young adults face.
My studies in international relations and organizational behavior led me to the field of psychology and showed me that I have a deep curiosity about individual development and the psyche. After getting my doctorate and having a family, I saw the limits of traditional psychology and its emphasis on deficits and pathology. A new field emerged, positive psychology, with a focus on strengths and potential. Positive psychology, combined with life coaching, provides individuals the tools to support their own positive development.
My own experiences in adolescence and young adulthood, my psychology studies, and my experiences as a mother have influenced my desire to help young people understand themselves and engage in the process of making important life choices. Our youth are an energetic, creative and innovative population. Appreciating their unique perspectives and gifts comes easily to me. I look forward to helping your child understand their personal journeys and to develop the tools needed to have purposeful lives designed with integrity, intentionality and meaning.
Ultimately, the work I do is a step in my own evolution and helping others in theirs. Designing your life, creating a personal matrix from which to think, live, and make important and meaningful decisions, is how you grow, evolve and emphatically live your one precious life.
EDUCATION
- Stanford University, Bachelors Degree in International Relations, 1988
- Stanford University, Masters Degree in Sociology, 1989
- The Wright Institute, Berkeley, MA, PhD in Clinical Psychology, 2000
- San Francisco State University Applied Positive Pychology Coaching Program