The therapists who facilitate the MBCT courses at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center are experts in this evidence-based practice and will guide you with kindness and confidence. Many have pursued advanced study, and in some cases authored research, about the benefits of mindfulness on mental health, prevention of depression and anxiety relapse, and prevention of substance use disorder relapse. They are all passionate about applying mindfulness to the therapy and mental health space.
Meet our mindfulness team of experts
Sophie Lazarus, PhD
Sophie Lazarus, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health in The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dr. Lazarus started the MBCT Program at The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center in 2018. She is a longtime mindfulness practitioner and was a certified teacher of MBCT at the University of California San Diego Mindfulness-Based Professional Training Institute. She completed intensive education in MBCT under the guidance of one of the treatment developers, Zindel Segal, PhD, and another expert in MBCT, Susan Woods, MSW, LICSW. She has trained through the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation to teach Introduction to Mindfulness and Mindfulness for Life courses. She is educated in mindfulness-based supervision, and participates in an international group of mindfulness-based supervisors.
Maureen Maher-Bridge, LISW-S
Maureen Maher-Bridge, LISW-S, is a lead psychotherapist in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health in the College of Medicine. Maureen was educated in cognitive behavioral therapy at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Pittsburgh, and has more than 25 years of clinical experience treating mood and anxiety disorders. She completed the Teacher Training Intensive in MBCT through the Centre for Mindfulness Studies in Toronto, and is currently leading MBCT groups.
Lindsay Buchanan, LISW-S
Lindsay Buchanan, LISW-S, is a psychotherapist in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health in the College of Medicine. Her work focuses on treating depression and anxiety and supporting people through grief and loss. She has studied the benefits of mindfulness and has a personal mindfulness practice. In 2022, she completed an intensive practitioner training in MBCT through the Centre for Mindfulness Studies in Toronto and the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion in the Cambridge Health Alliance in Boston.
Rosalind Gjessing, LISW-S
Rosalind Gjessing, LISW-S, is a psychotherapist with the Stress, Trauma and Resilience (STAR) Program at the Ohio State Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health in the College of Medicine. She completed her clinical education at The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and has clinical experience with trauma, eating disorders and college student populations. She is a trained MBCT facilitator through the Centre for Mindfulness Studies in Toronto, and is currently leading MBCT groups for individuals who have experienced crime and are eligible for STAR Trauma Recovery Center services.
Anne McVey, PhD
Anne McVey, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health in the College of Medicine. Her area of focus includes working with individuals who have chronic health conditions, including cancer. She has practiced meditation for more than 40 years and was introduced to mindfulness-based practices while doing a postdoctoral fellowship in cancer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She completed the Teacher Training Intensive in MBCT at the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion, a collaboration between Cambridge Health Alliance and Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospital in Boston.
Nadia Neil, LISW-S
Nadia Neil, LISW-S, is a psychotherapist in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health in the College of Medicine. She completed the Teacher Training Intensive in MBCT through the Centre for Mindfulness Studies in Toronto. For a decade, Nadia has maintained a personal mindfulness practice, which helps her to relate to the world and herself in a kinder, less critical way.
Lisa Thornton, PhD
Lisa Thornton, PhD, is a psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health in the College of Medicine. Her personal interest and passion for mindfulness led her to pursue education to teach MBCT, allowing her to integrate her knowledge about how thoughts shape mood and experience with the transformative power of mindfulness.
Michael Vilensky, PhD
Michael Vilensky, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health in the College of Medicine who specializes in substance use disorder treatment. He founded the Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) Program at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center's specialty addiction treatment center in 2019, working with patients to develop mindfulness skills to support recovery. Results suggest that graduates of the program have reduced rates of relapse. He also teaches mindfulness-based interventions and educates clinicians entering the field.