Cathryn Booth-LaForce is a developmental psychologist and
the Charles and Gerda Spence Professor of Nursing in the department of Family
and Child Nursing at the University of Washington. Her research focuses on the
social-emotional development of children, primarily from the perspective of
attachment theory. In longitudinal projects spanning infancy to late
adolescence, she investigates early experiences in various contexts to examine
their current and ongoing impact on development and adaptive (or maladaptive)
outcomes. Her areas of expertise include caregiver-child relationships,
parenting, peer relationships, and friendships, as well as early preventive
intervention programs for children and families at risk.
She also engages in research on yoga, mindfulness, and other
complementary and integrative health (CIH) topics. She is the principal
investigator on an NIH-funded postdoctoral training grant focusing on producing
the next generation of CIH researchers who are well-prepared to engage in
clinical and translational research while also understanding CIH clinical
practice and modalities.