Jared D. Kass, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Division of Counseling and Psychology, Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences. He also serves as a Visiting Scholar with the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston, MA. Dr. Kass has taught at Lesley University since 1976. He is a senior faculty member of the Holistic Studies specialization, where he trains mental health clinicians to practice trauma-informed, culturally-responsive, mind-body behavioral health.
Dr. Kass conducts a prevention-oriented research program that investigates the development of pro-social, health-promoting attitudes and behaviors in emerging adults. Most recently, he has developed and tested an engaged learning curriculum for higher education. This curriculum, Know Your Self, mentors undergraduate and entry-level graduate students as they build culturally-inclusive community and psychological resilience through person-centered psychospiritual maturation. His book, A Person-Centered Approach to Psychospiritual Maturation, will be published by Palgrave MacMillan in Fall 2017.
Dr. Kass has published many peer-reviewed research papers and book chapters related to his research program and teaching. He is co-author of a book chapter, with Dr. Sidney Trantham, Perspectives from Clinical Neuroscience: Mindfulness and Therapeutic Use of the Arts.
In addition, he is author of the following assessment instruments:
--The Inventory of Positive Psychological Attitudes (IPPA) measures the resilient worldview, Confidence in Life and Self. The IPPA is currently used in a college health textbook and many research projects in positive psychology and health psychology.
--The Index of Core Spiritual Experience (INSPIRIT) measures personally-transformative experiences commonly reported by novice and advanced meditators. These individuals include secular humanists and participants from diverse spiritual traditions. The INSPIRIT has been reviewed favorably in many textbooks on the psychology of religion and spirituality. It has been used internationally in research measuring the effects of contemplative practice on well-being, and has been translated into Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, and Chinese.
--The Spirituality and Resilience Assessment Packet (SRA) combines the IPPA and INSPIRIT. This self-scoring assessment instrument helps individuals determine whether their contemplative experiences are contributing to a more resilient worldview (www.resilientworldview.org).
Early in his professional career, Dr. Kass worked closely with Dr. Carl Rogers, as a staff member of the Person-Centered Approach Project. This project was formative in Dr. Kass’ clinical practice and teaching, which focuses on building a therapeutic alliance through empathic attunement and reflective listening.
Later, Dr. Kass worked with Dr. Herbert Benson at Beth Israel and New England Deaconess Hospitals, Harvard Medical School, conducting research on spirituality as a resource for resilience.
By integrating Rogers’ methods with multicultural and feminist theory, mind-body cognitive-behavioral approaches, psychodynamic attachment theory, experiential sensorimotor methods, and therapeutic use of the arts, Dr. Kass has helped develop an integrative approach to humanistic psychology that now constitutes a best-practices approach in clinical mental health counseling.
Dr. Kass has served in many visiting positions. He has been a Center Associate with the Higher Education Center for Alcohol, Drug, and Violence Prevention (USDOE). He was coordinator of the Boston Clergy and Religious Leaders Group for Interfaith Dialogue. He was a senior scholar in psychology on a panel sponsored by the University of New Mexico that wrote a book published by the American Psychological Association, Judeo-Christian Perspectives on Psychology: Human Nature, Motivation and Change. In addition, he has been a fellow of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, and a visiting scholar with The Episcopal Divinity School (Cambridge, MA) and The Danielsen Institute at Boston University.
Dr. Kass is an avid hiker, musician, and meditator. He is also a co-founder of the team sport, Ultimate (1968). Throughout his life, he and his family have been deeply committed to the integration of body, mind, and spirit as a resource for cultivating communities of health, social justice, and peace.