Wellness

Research on Wellness focuses on approaches to promoting health and wellness in people affected by behavioral health disorders. We are conducting research on smoking cessation, health promotion and healthy living, and stress management. We are closely aligned with the Department of Psychiatry’s Wellness Initiative which includes research, teaching, and clinical intervention initiatives that integrate wellness and preventive care activities across the Department and all related clinical sites.

We are interested in:

• Mindfulness-based approaches to wellness
• The benefits of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on health behaviors and related brain changes using fMRI (in collaboration with the UMass Memorial Center for Mindfulness and Center for Comparative Neuroimaging)
• Mindfulness-based interventions adapted to specific populations including people with serious mental health conditions, PTSD and substance abuse, and for staff who care for people with these conditions
• For more information on mindfulness see the Department of Psychiatry’s Mindfulness page
• Organizational change studies for tobacco cessation
• Wellness initiatives in Psychosocial Rehabilitation programs
• The integration of primary care and behavioral health services