Catherine Byrne, Ph.D., offers counseling, mediation, social psychology and human rights consulting services in Santa Cruz, California, the U.S. and internationally.

Cath's understanding of human beings and her passion regarding human rights was activated as a young (white) child growing up in apartheid South Africa in the 1970's and 80's. Some of her nuclear family were involved in the anti-apartheid movement and others were not - which led to a divide within in her own family. This later led to her interest in figuring out why people come to hold racist attitudes and beliefs (something explained in part by social psychology), and how to change such attitudes and beliefs before they progress to actual acts of discrimination nevermind violations of human rights or genocide.

Due to her passion for mediation and finding ways to work through conflict she studied psychology and conflict resolution as an undergraduate, and completed a Masters degree in International Peace Studies (University of Notre Dame, Indiana). A Doctorate in Social Psychology (University of Nevada) followed - that included a dissertation detailing a hundred plus hours of interviews with victims of human rights violations who participated in the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Thereafter she completed a post-doc at the University of Pennsylvania Solomon Asch Center for the Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict.

Cath then moved to the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) to teach in the psychology department's social psychology area (which has a social justice focus) as a tenure track professor. After 3 years as an assistant professor - teaching, and doing research and service - Cath made the complex decision to leave academia to pursue more applied work. Along with conducting mediations and training people in mediation, Cath trained as an Interchange Counselor, an interest that was highlighted by her work with survivors of torture and her questioning of how people recover from such violations and hurt.

Cath believes that all human beings matter, that we all respond at times from a place of hurt (old or current) with varying consequences, that we can find more effective ways to cope and thrive, and that we all at times need "support" to navigate this life journey.

Cath lives in Santa Cruz, CA with her husband and their 3 teenage children.