Shelly Harrell, PhD

Shelly Harrell, PhD, is a licensed psychotherapist and currently a Full Professor at Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Education and Psychology. Her research focuses on the development of culturally-attuned, resilience-oriented interventions with an emphasis on cultural dimensions of contemplative practices such as meditation and mindfulness. She has a long-standing focus and numerous publications on sociocultural and sociopolitical aspects of stress, racism, mental health, and psychological well-being among Black, Indigenous, and
People of Color (BIPOC). Most recently, she has developed a “soulfulness” approach to contemplative practice that emphasizes liberation from the soul wounds of oppression. Dr. Harrell has served as a consultant and trainer for numerous educational, social service and health care organizations on issues of cultural diversity for nearly 30 years. She has been a licensed psychologist with a private practice for 3 decades, supervises psychotherapy, and is a featured therapist on NICABM’s “Next Level Practitioner” series.