She was born in 1952 in Hartford, Connecticut. She attended Emmanuel College and graduated in 1974 with a B.A. in psychology. She talks about the importance of education to her family. She states that her mother also had a Ph.D. in psychology, and taught both at the elementary school and university level. Her father worked for the state of Connecticut. She explain her choice of the field of psychology for her career, and the typical career path in her field. Her husband is also a psychology professor.