Author

Dr. Hart is a child psychologist and professor emerita of Human Development & Family Studies at Texas Tech University.

​

TRAINING IN CHILD PSYCHOLOGY

She earned a doctoral degree in Developmental Psychology at Tufts University, and a master’s degree in Educational Psychology at McGill University.

 

TRAINING IN MASSAGE THERAPY

Dr. Hart was trained in massage therapy during an appointment at the Touch Research Institute of the University of Miami School of Medicine under the direction of Dr. Tiffany Field. She participated in studies on the behavioral and health benefits of massage therapy for pediatric samples that included premature infants, toddlers and school-aged children.

 

TRAINING IN PEDIATRIC PSYCHOLOGY & SPECIAL EDUCATION

During appointments in the Department of Behavioral Medicine at Harvard Medical School; and the Montreal Children’s Hospital - McGill University Health Center Dr. Hart received training various profiles of neurodiversity, including those impacting children with traits of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

 

AUTHORSHIP

Dr. Hart is the author or co-editor of seven books on child development. Her most recent one is Attachment and Parent-Offspring Conflict (University of Cambridge Press, 2024), a scholarly work on the evolved basis of parent-child bonding. She authored Lullaby Massage by tapping her clinical training in massage therapy combined with her background in child development, pediatric psychology, special education. Above all, it grew from her life experience as mother of three and her personal mission to advance awareness and appreciation of massage therapy for children in and outside clinical settings.