A Fresh Look at Mindfulness and Resilience

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We sat down with Associate Professor of Psychology Maren Westphal, PhD, to learn about her research and work with students at Pace University’s Pleasantville, New York, campus.

Professor Westphal’s research and clinical interests focus on resilience, mindfulness, and their applications in mental health, particularly for individuals coping with adversity.

Research with a personal connection

Westphal’s interest in resilience research began during her physical rehabilitation following a horseback riding accident. Seeking to explore how a positive mindset can impact physical and emotional outcomes, she studied clinical psychology at Columbia University’s Teachers College, where she examined the relationship between expressive flexibility in emotional expression and flexible emotion regulation, and adjustment to acute and cumulative stress under the mentorship of George Bonanno, PhD, a renowned resilience researcher.

Flexibility in emotion regulation refers to the ability to manage internal experiences and external expressions of emotions in a way that is consistent with one’s needs and goals. For example, a recently bereaved salesperson who is crying while sharing her experience with a trusted friend may receive the validation and support that she needs at that time; in contrast, expressing sadness while serving customers could reinforce a sense of not being able to manage the demands of one’s life. In her research with Bonanno, Westphal found that expressive flexibility is associated with better adjustment in students exposed to a high number of stressful life events, ranging from relatively mundane stressors to higher aversive events (e.g., difficulties with personal finances, change in academic workload, death of someone close to them). This better adjustment was shown in improved mental health and well-being, physical health, quality of social interactions, ability to accomplish goals, and coping ability, as rated by their close friends.

Westphal’s research interests center on the following areas:

Mindfulness in Healthcare

Westphal has found that mindfulness shields against the detrimental effects of work-related stress on mental health and burnout and predicts less anxiety, depression, and social impairment in emergency care professionals. Her research with this population, who consistently face stressful situations, suggests that mindfulness may serve protective functions in stress-exposed individuals. This finding is consistent with a large body of research on psychological and physiological benefits of mindfulness-based interventions such as mindfulness-based stress reduction program (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) that use practices such as meditation to help people become more mindful.

Westphal’s recent work explores quality of life among individuals with spinal cord injuries, challenging assumptions about diminished life satisfaction.

Disability and Quality of Life

Her recent work explores quality of life among individuals with spinal cord injuries, challenging assumptions about diminished life satisfaction. She emphasizes that healthcare providers need training to mindfully and emphatically interact with patients, focusing on person-centered interactions that promote autonomy and acknowledge patient experiences beyond their medical conditions. Traditionally, rehabilitation after spinal cord injury has focused on physical outcomes, with little involvement of patients in decision-making. However, there is increasing recognition that a patient’s unique life context, values, and personal goals need to be considered in treatment planning and assessment of rehabilitation outcomes. Together with a team of researchers from Switzerland and the Netherlands, Westphal has found that patients reported better quality of life when healthcare providers exhibited attitudes, communication styles, and behaviors that helped encourage patients and their families to take an active part in their rehabilitation process (e.g., by being transparent, understanding, optimistic, and respectful, and including patients in decision-making).

Education and Inclusivity

Westphal advocates for expanding cultural competence training in counselor education to include disability awareness. This involves recognizing disability as a natural aspect of human diversity and understanding the barriers people with disabilities face. These barriers include not only inaccessible environments but also societal biases, such as assuming people with disabilities are less capable. This neglected area of training, she argues, is critical for preparing mental health professionals to provide effective care across diverse populations, including those with visible and hidden disabilities.

Westphal plans to continue integrating mindfulness into clinical training and teaching at Pace University. She aspires to further conduct research in this area, present her findings at upcoming conferences, and potentially develop a textbook on disability competence in mental health care. She is currently working with Pace student Hannah Cahill on a scoping review that explores the potential benefits of mindfulness training for developing the cultural competence of healthcare providers working with individuals with physical disabilities. This project is supported by an Emerging Scholar Fellowship awarded by the Gosin Center for Equity and Inclusion at Pace University, which was instituted to encourage collaboration between graduate students and senior faculty. She emphasizes that her work could contribute to improved support for people with disabilities, which she sees as an underrepresented but growing demographic in psychology and healthcare.

Westphal’s research areas collectively underscore her commitment to advancing psychological resilience and inclusive practices in both clinical and educational settings.