EP 012 | Dr. Rachel Brenner, PhD

Dr. Rachel Brenner, PhD is a an assistant professor of psychology at Colorado State University. Her research primarily examines how people respond to distress and how these responses impact mental and physical health. Her focus is on how best to measure clinically-relevant constructs such as self-compassion, stigma, and discrimination, and how these constructs best inform theory and interventions to improve psychological health and reduce stigma for cross-cultural and at-risk populations. She has published on these topics in journals such as the Journal of Counseling Psychology, The Counseling Psychologist, Stigma and Health, and Assessment. Currently, she is extending this research to LGBTQ populations and sleep outcomes.  Be sure to check out Dr. Brenner on social media as her content is both informative and entertaining!    SOCIAL MEDIA  Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@professorbren?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/professorbren/?hl=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/drrachelbrenner?lang=en    BOOKS DR. BRENNER RECOMMENDS:  When Things Fall Apart - by Pema Chödrön  Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life - by Thich Nhat Hanh PODCAST MOMENTS:  01:37 Personal Background 11:03 Be Kind to Yourself  17:20 Help Seeking and Masculinity  22:34 Debunking “Grit”? 29:42 Negative Self-Talk  38:17 Mindfulness Meditation  41:02 Self-Compassion 54:28 The Practice of Meditation 1:03:40 “Holding Both” 1:08:17 Romantic Relationship Breakups  1:24:35 Navigating Graduate School 1:30:55 Stigma