The self-compassion research lab is directed by Dr. Kristin Neff and includes several graduate students from the Educational Psychology Department at the University of Texas at Austin. We currently have several on-going research studies on self-compassion. Current projects include:
Kristin Neff
Associate Professor
Human Development and Culture
Educational Psychology Department
University of Texas at Austin
kristin.neff@mail.utexas.edu
Kristin studied communications as an undergraduate at the University of California at Los Angeles (B.A., 1988). She did her graduate work at University of California at Berkeley (Ph.D., 1997), studying moral development with Dr. Elliot Turiel. Her dissertation research was conducted in Mysore, India, where she examined children’s, adolescents’ and adults’ reasoning about the rights and responsibilities accorded to husbands versus wives in conflict situations. She then spent two years of post-doctoral study with Dr. Susan Harter at Denver University, studying issues of authenticity and self-concept development. Her current position at the University of Texas at Austin started in 1999, and she was promoted to Associate Professor in 2006.
During Kristin’s last year of graduate school she became interested in Buddhism, and has been practicing meditation in the Insight Meditation tradition since 1997. While doing her post-doctoral work with Susan Harter, she decided to conduct research on self-compassion – a central construct in Buddhist psychology and one that had not yet been examined empirically.
Although Kristin does have other areas of research interest, including issues of gender, power, culture, and authenticity, her main research focus is now on self-compassion – both basic research and also potential intervention applications. She teaches workshops on self-compassion for clinicians, in conjunction with Chris Germer at Harvard University. Currently she is writing a book called "Self-Compassion: How to Stop Judging Yourself and Embrace the Joy of Being Human," to be published by William Morrow in winter 2011.
Kristin lives in the countryside in Elgin, Texas with her husband Rupert Isaacson – an author and human rights activist – and with her young son Rowan. She and her family were recently featured in the film and book called The Horse Boy – www.horseboymovie.com
Graduate student researchers:
Pittman McGehee
Doctoral Candidate, Counseling Psychology
Educational Psychology Department
pittman.mcgehee@mail.utexas.edu
Pittman has a M.Ed. in Counseling from UT Austin and a M.A. in Religion from the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest. He is currently working as high school counselor while also being enrolled in the doctoral program in Counseling Psychology at UT Austin. Pittman is interested in the relationship between Buddhism and western psychology, specifically in the constructs of mindfulness and self-compassion. He has been examining self-compassion among adolescents, and has designed a self-compassion intervention for this age group. Pittman is married with a young son, and has been a practicing Buddhist in the Insight Meditation tradition for several years.
Elizabeth Pommier
Graduate Student, Human Development and Culture
Educational Psychology Department
elizabeth.pommier@mail.utexas.edu
Liz studied philosophy as an undergraduate at Knox College and completed her degree in 1992. She worked for several years including a two year tour of service in Peace Corps serving in Guinea-Bissau before continuing her education. In 2000 she completed a degree in Counselor Education at Penn State. Currently, she is working towards a doctorate in Human Development in Educational Psychology at UT Austin. Liz is developing a scale aimed at assessing compassion for others that is based on the three component model represented in the Self-Compassion Scale.
Johnna Jones
Graduate Student, Human Development and Culture
Educational Psychology Department
johnnajones@austin.rr.com
Johnna earned a BS in Speech Communication from Texas A&M University and Masters in both Human Services and Counseling from St. Edward’s University, in Austin, Texas. She has worked with emotionally disturbed adolescents in an Austin treatment facility and is currently researching self-compassion and parental well-being in parents with adolescents. Johnna lives in Austin with her husband and four children.
- School-based interventions to increase self-compassion among adolescents
- The development of a scale to measure compassion for others, based on the three components of self-compassion: kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness<
- Self-compassion as a buffer against prejudice
Kristin Neff
Associate Professor
Human Development and Culture
Educational Psychology Department
University of Texas at Austin
kristin.neff@mail.utexas.edu
Kristin studied communications as an undergraduate at the University of California at Los Angeles (B.A., 1988). She did her graduate work at University of California at Berkeley (Ph.D., 1997), studying moral development with Dr. Elliot Turiel. Her dissertation research was conducted in Mysore, India, where she examined children’s, adolescents’ and adults’ reasoning about the rights and responsibilities accorded to husbands versus wives in conflict situations. She then spent two years of post-doctoral study with Dr. Susan Harter at Denver University, studying issues of authenticity and self-concept development. Her current position at the University of Texas at Austin started in 1999, and she was promoted to Associate Professor in 2006.
During Kristin’s last year of graduate school she became interested in Buddhism, and has been practicing meditation in the Insight Meditation tradition since 1997. While doing her post-doctoral work with Susan Harter, she decided to conduct research on self-compassion – a central construct in Buddhist psychology and one that had not yet been examined empirically.
Although Kristin does have other areas of research interest, including issues of gender, power, culture, and authenticity, her main research focus is now on self-compassion – both basic research and also potential intervention applications. She teaches workshops on self-compassion for clinicians, in conjunction with Chris Germer at Harvard University. Currently she is writing a book called "Self-Compassion: How to Stop Judging Yourself and Embrace the Joy of Being Human," to be published by William Morrow in winter 2011.
Kristin lives in the countryside in Elgin, Texas with her husband Rupert Isaacson – an author and human rights activist – and with her young son Rowan. She and her family were recently featured in the film and book called The Horse Boy – www.horseboymovie.com
Graduate student researchers:
Pittman McGehee
Doctoral Candidate, Counseling Psychology
Educational Psychology Department
pittman.mcgehee@mail.utexas.edu
Pittman has a M.Ed. in Counseling from UT Austin and a M.A. in Religion from the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest. He is currently working as high school counselor while also being enrolled in the doctoral program in Counseling Psychology at UT Austin. Pittman is interested in the relationship between Buddhism and western psychology, specifically in the constructs of mindfulness and self-compassion. He has been examining self-compassion among adolescents, and has designed a self-compassion intervention for this age group. Pittman is married with a young son, and has been a practicing Buddhist in the Insight Meditation tradition for several years.
Elizabeth Pommier
Graduate Student, Human Development and Culture
Educational Psychology Department
elizabeth.pommier@mail.utexas.edu
Liz studied philosophy as an undergraduate at Knox College and completed her degree in 1992. She worked for several years including a two year tour of service in Peace Corps serving in Guinea-Bissau before continuing her education. In 2000 she completed a degree in Counselor Education at Penn State. Currently, she is working towards a doctorate in Human Development in Educational Psychology at UT Austin. Liz is developing a scale aimed at assessing compassion for others that is based on the three component model represented in the Self-Compassion Scale.
Johnna Jones
Graduate Student, Human Development and Culture
Educational Psychology Department
johnnajones@austin.rr.com
Johnna earned a BS in Speech Communication from Texas A&M University and Masters in both Human Services and Counseling from St. Edward’s University, in Austin, Texas. She has worked with emotionally disturbed adolescents in an Austin treatment facility and is currently researching self-compassion and parental well-being in parents with adolescents. Johnna lives in Austin with her husband and four children.