Joyce Catlett, M.A.

Joyce Catlett, M.A., author and lecturer, has collaborated with Dr. Robert Firestone in writing 12 books and numerous professional articles. Most recently, she co-authored Sex and Love in Intimate Relationships (APA Books, 2005), Beyond Death Anxiety: Achieving Life-Affirming Death Awareness (Springer Publishing, 2009) and The Ethics of Interpersonal Relationships (Karnac Books, 2009), with Robert Firestone PhD. Ms. Catlett began her career in psychology in 1972, working with autistic children at the Camarillo State Hospital Children’s Treatment Center in Camarillo, CA. A founding member of Glendon Association, she has been a national lecturer and workshop facilitator in the areas of child abuse prevention and couple relations. With Glendon, she has co-produced 40 video documentaries on a wide range of mental health topics. Ms. Catlett was also instrumental in the development and training of instructors in the Compassionate Child Rearing Education Program and in training mental health professionals in Voice Therapy Methodology.

Blogs by Joyce Catlett, M.A.

Can Secure Attachment Make Us Less Afraid During the Coronavirus Crisis?

Last night I woke up from a deep sleep in a panic about the possibility of getting the Coronavirus, despite my precautions and social distancing. I tried a mindfulness practice for a few minutes and that did help calm me down. Then my thoughts turned to some of the young children I’ve worked with as… Read more »

Learn More

Trust Issues: Why Is It So Hard for Some People to Trust?

It is mutual trust, even more than mutual interest that holds human associations together. ~ H. L. Menken… Read more »

Learn More

Avoidant Attachment: Understanding Insecure Avoidant Attachment

The way that parents interact with their infant during the first few months of its life largely determines the type of attachment it will form with them. The relationship between the primary caregiver and the baby can create a secure, anxious, disorganized or avoidant attachment style that will form a blueprint for relationships throughout the… Read more »

Learn More

Anxious Attachment: Understanding Insecure Anxious Attachment

Understanding Anxious Attachment Human beings are born with strong survival instincts. One of the strongest is based on an infant’s inability to survive on its own and its complete dependence on an adult for nurturance and protection. Babies have an innate drive to make sure that they get their basic needs met by a parent,… Read more »

Learn More

Ambivalent Feelings All Parents Have

Like it or not, all parents have ambivalent feelings toward their children. Child development expert Joyce Catlett talks about where these feelings come from and how we can best deal with them in ourselves without hurting our children.

Learn More

Being a Role Model to Your Children

Child development expert Joyce Catlett discusses how leading our own lives to the fullest positively influences our children.

Learn More

Emotional Hunger

While loving our children is healthy, dependency or “emotional hunger” toward our kids can be harmful to their development. Child development expert Joyce Catlett discusses the distinction between hunger versus love and the negative effects of over-relying on our children for our own comfort and happiness.

Learn More

Self-Reflective Approach to Becoming a Better Parent

Becoming a better parent doesn’t only involve our present actions. To truly develop ourselves as parents, it is important to look at our own past . Child development expert Joyce Catlett talks about how making sense of our own childhood experiences can help us to become better parents to our children.

Learn More