How you buy food might seem like a simple task, but in reality, it includes many decisions. What may seem like a tiny chore is actually important, an act of initiation and follow through, that requires several cognitive abilities. On Tuesday, April 22, Dr. Kathleen (Wawrzyniak) Webb ’95, clinical psychologist and owner of Greater Hartford Wellness & SmartSteps, LLC in Avon, Connecticut, joined the Society of Skeptics to help students celebrate more of their wins such as everyday grocery shopping and elaborate on what “effective functioning” is.

Excited to engage with Blair’s young students, Dr. Webb looks forward to helping them increase their awareness of their executive functioning development. “Executive function skills include planning and organizing, paying attention and emotion regulation to name a few,” she shared in a pre-event interview. “I would like to promote reflection about one’s own development and encourage students to seek experiences that may be uncomfortable, in order to have long-term success and autonomy as adults.”

The event comes at a timely moment with many of the hilltop’s seniors eager to attend one of their final Skeptics events before they embark on their college journeys. Still, many of Dr. Webb’s insights, she shares, are universal and applicable at any age.

“A key message I have for my patients and students is to not shy away from uncomfortable situations. It’s okay to fail. We usually learn the most from those experiences.”

After graduating from Blair, Dr. Webb went on to obtain her bachelors of arts degree in psychology from Providence College in 1999. She continued her studies at the University of Hartford earning her doctorate in psychology. She credits Blair with helping her find her passion, and, in addition to her work and life after Blair, anticipates sharing anecdotes with students on Tuesday. 

“I am truly grateful for finding a career that I am endlessly interested in—understanding humans! I was first introduced to psychology at Blair in an Introduction to Psychology class. This led to majoring in psychology as an undergraduate. After college, I sought work experiences that explored various areas within psychology, including research and acute clinical settings, before deciding on pursuing a PsyD in clinical psychology. 

I consider it a great privilege to hold space with another person and support them to feel seen. I get 45 minutes with one person with no distractions, which is not something folks do much anymore. Sharing connection and common humanity is a way for others to not feel alone and feel accepted just as they are.”

Click "play" below to watch Dr. Webb's Skeptics presentation.

History of Skeptics
 
The Society of Skeptics was established as a forum for students and faculty to discuss and debate important global issues; it has grown to become one of the premier high school lecture series in the United States. Each week, speakers from the political, social, scientific, economic and literary arenas share their unique perspectives with students, who are encouraged to engage with presenters, asking questions and debating points of view.

The program, which is funded in part by the Class of 1968 Society of Skeptics Endowment Fund, is an outgrowth of the Blair International Society, begun in 1937. Forty years later, former history department chair Elliott Trommald, PhD, Hon. ’65, established the modern Skeptics program as a regular forum for student discussion and debate; history teacher Martin Miller, PhD, took over in the mid-1980s and molded the program into a weekly lecture series, one that has since continued without interruption. Under the tutelage of Dr. Miller and his successor, history department chair Jason Beck, Skeptics has featured a wide variety of speakers who are thought-provoking, engaging, accomplished in their respective fields and often controversial. For a listing of upcoming Skeptics programs, please visit Blair’s website.