Introducing Alice McAvoy

The Contemplative Studies Centre welcomes back Alice McAvoy, Master of Psychology (Clinical Psychology) student, following completion of her Honours year.

Alice’s thesis title is “Better Together? Mindfulness Teachers’ Perspectives on How the Group Format Affects Mental Health Outcomes in Mindfulness-Based Programs.”

Alice joined the Centre to pursue her deep fascination with the potential of mindfulness as an accessible and empowering mental health tool: one that individuals can carry with them and that may require fewer resources than traditional 1:1 therapy alone models.

She is currently involved in two thesis projects, both of which involve considering how groups may enhance the learning and sustained practice of mindfulness.

Alice recently conducted a qualitative study interviewing ten experienced mindfulness teachers from the US, UK, Hong Kong and Australia on how they see the group format impacting mental health outcomes. For this honours thesis, she used thematic analysis from which three core themes emerged: Safety First described feelings of safety within the group format as a critical enabler of outcomes. The Group as a Living Practice of Mindfulness captured how teachers saw the group format as uniquely suited to cultivating mindful relationships with self and others. Finally, Stronger Together reflected how the group provided motivation and accountability for meditation practice.

She is now involved with the “Tracking Meditation: Longitudinal Study”, which examines how participants’ meditation practice evolves after initial training. Her focus will be on understanding how groups may influence these changes.

Alice was particularly drawn to the Contemplative Studies Centre for its interdisciplinary approach to understanding mindfulness and mental health, and for its emphasis on research, empirical support and real-world application. She greatly values the guidance and expertise of the team, especially her co-supervisors Dr Julieta Galante and Dr Lillian Ward.

Outside of academia, Alice enjoys living life with her young family, imperfectly continuing her meditation practice (particularly in nature) and maintaining an excessively long pile of books on her bedside table.

Below, Alice shares a favourite poem that inspires her in this work:

AN INVITATION TO A BRAVE SPACE

Together we will create brave space
Because there is no such thing as a “safe space”
We exist in the real world
We all carry scars and we have all caused wounds.
In this space
We seek to turn down the volume of the outside world.
We amplify voices that fight to be heard elsewhere,
We call each other to more truth and love
We have the right to start somewhere and continue to grow.
We have the responsibility to examine what we think we know.
We will not be perfect.
It will not always be what we wish it to be But
It will be our brave space together,
And we will work on it side by side.

by Micky Scottbey Jones