Lorraine F. Lafferty, Ph.D.

Former Chairman and CEO of Human Synergistics International

Dr. Lorraine F. Lafferty led Human Synergistics International as the former Chairman and CEO from 1997 to 2004. Dr. Lafferty’s professional focus is on helping individuals and organisations develop and grow to improve their effectiveness and productivity. She is a recognised expert on the effects of stress on individuals and organisations. She designed an executive development coaching programme and has conducted more than two thousand intensive sessions with key executives. As a senior management consultant at HSI, Dr. Lafferty designed and conducted training programmes for Texas Utilities, Control Data, Honeywell, Inc., Dow Chemical, Ford Motor Company, Nash Finch, Dayton-Hudson Corporation, General Foods, and the American Association of School Administrators, among many others.

Through her extensive research in the area of stress management, Dr. Lafferty was a primary developer of Human Synergistics International’s System for Creating Organisational and Personal Effectiveness (SCOPE) programme. She facilitated corporate SCOPE programmes and conducted SCOPE Train-the-Trainer workshops.

Dr. Lafferty is the co-author of Perfectionism—A Sure Cure for Happiness, published in 1996 by Human Synergistics International. With her late husband, she examined more than 9,000 cases of perfectionism, a demanding syndrome that contributes to sickness and unhappiness. The Laffertys’ book presents the causes, the consequences, and the correction of perfectionism and has been praised by the national media in numerous reviews.

Dr. Lafferty received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Marygrove College in Detroit and her master’s and doctorate in clinical psychology from Wayne State University. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, a former officer of the Michigan Psychological Association, and a member of the American Society for Training and Development. Dr. Lafferty has received numerous awards and recognition for her work and is listed in the Year 2000 edition of the Marquis Who’s Who in the World.