Harvard Medical School

Adelphi University

University of Connecticut

Marketing and Community Engagement Specialist at HARVARD UNIVERSITY HEALTH SERVICES

KindMinds.co is my coaching business for high achievers with a mission to help you overcome the negative effects of perfectionism, stress and self sabotage, so you can be successful and happy. I’m committed to helping individuals, professionals and organizations grow kind minds. You already have all the gifts inside you right now to lead a happy and fulfilling life.  Visit www.kindminds.co or DM me to learn more.

KindMinds Coaching

Founder, Coach

As a staff psychologist and Marketing and Community Engagement Specialist at the Counseling and Mental Health Service at Harvard University, I work with undergraduates and graduate students in all disciplines (HBS, HLS, HMS, HSPS, etc.) in individual and group counseling, as well as offer specialized workshops and trainings. This is a great opportunity to teach skills in mindfulness, compassion, courage and resilience to this generation of young and talented adults who can change the world for the greater good. It's a privilege to be back at Harvard where I trained years ago for my clinical fellowships.

Harvard University

Clinical Psychologist

Compassion for ourselves and others is our birthright as humans—hardwired into us and essential to our happiness. It can be easy to lose sight of this truth in a world that’s also full of selfishness and cruelty. In The Kindness Cure, Dr. Tara Cousineau draws on cutting-edge research to teach the reader simple practices of kindness—for ourselves and for our world—that can dissolve our feelings of fear and our habits of indifference, and open us to a life of profound happiness.

Tara Cousineau, PhD

Author, The Kindness Cure

The mission of the CHA Center for Mindfulness and Compassion (CMC) is to enhance the health and well-being of Cambridge Health Alliance and our local communities by integrating mindfulness and compassion into healthcare.

Center for Mindfulness & Compassion

Senior Faculty

After 20 years of experience as a clinical psychologist and coach, I've developed a practical and sustainable method that addresses the negative aspects of perfectionism and helps individuals achieve personal success AND happiness – from the inside out.  💫

💡𝗠𝘆 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲

I specialize in working with high achievers, change-makers, scientists, executives, and entrepreneurs. I completed my pre- and postdoctoral psychology fellowships at Harvard Medical School, where I gained valuable insights into the culture of overachievement. (And I still spend time working at Harvard University.) I’ve been a business owner,  research scientist,  and product developer in the digital wellness space. While it may sound impressive, the truth is that it hasn't always been a joy ride. In fact, I was a poster child for the negative effects of perfectionism, including unhealthy stretches of workaholism or its opposite, procrastination. 

It’s counterintuitive, but the very behavior embraced by high achievers—𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗺–will eventually undermine your health, relationships, and even your financial success.

There’s little doubt that perfectionism is one of the traits that helped you progress in your life. But over time perfectionism has serious limitations—and you may already be experiencing some the signs:

• Stress and burn-out
• Strain in your personal and professional relationships
• Career inertia,  feeling stuck
• Inability to enjoy your successes

My approach is more than shifting mindset, uncovering past wounds or learning to relax.  But I know that we can change our brains and our nervous systems for the better – to be kinder, calmer and happier in a consistent and sustainable way. Dealing with perfectionism is a code switch. But you need the tools to do it. 

💡𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲: Go to 𝘄𝘄𝘄.𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀.𝗰𝗼/𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀/  to learn more or send me a DM.

Founder

Kindlab is Kindness.org's research hub for all things kindness—where we examine and measure how kindness appears in our everyday lives, and translate the data into programs and recommendations for meaningful change.

kindness.org

Science Advisor

Consulting Chief Science Officer. Trainer for Whil's targeted career wellbeing programs: Women in STEM; Mindful Parenting. Together, in the "Mindfulness for Resilience in Illness Series," we created a 30-day science-based programs to help adolescents and young adults cope with cancer; and to support parents with a chronically ill child.  Whil helps organizations create happier, healthier and high-performing workforces with wellbeing training that leverages neuroscience, positive psychology and mindfulness. https://www.whil.com/advisors.html

Whil Concepts

Gastro Girl is the first patient-centric digital health platform for individuals living with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and conditions that brings key support elements together in one place to help them comply with treatment plans — and provide them with ongoing support. https://gastrogirl.com/team/

Gastro Girl

Expert Advisor

DOVE Self Esteem Project for Girls, Unilever

Global Health Advisor

Dr. Cousineau  was founder and CEO of BodiMojo, Inc. for 10 years, a small R&D firm that developed and evaluated innovative, technology-based patient engagement solutions to reach children and adolescents and their families, including web-based and mobile apps. With a long and successful track record in procuring federal funding from the National Institutes of Health's Small Business Research program, BodiMojo piloted technology-based wellness programs in health prevention and intervention, including body image/eating disorders prevention, cancer, child/maternal health, chronic pain, girls’ health and self-esteem, diabetes, digestive health/nutrition, mindfulness/compassion, and social and emotional wellbeing. Our approach to product development in digital health included patient-centered approaches: idea inception, feasibility pilot studies, program evaluation and randomized controlled field studies. The products and scientific studies contributed to evidence-based tools, peer-review journal articles, and mentorship of many graduate students and future clinicians/researchers.

BODIMOJO INC.

Leading efforts in product innovation in USA directed at integrating Health 2.0 strategies:  e-communities, eHealth tools and social media, into the LifeOnKey personal health record (PHR) product line, and to promote the best possible consumer/patient experience for individuals in managing their health information and overall wellness. US Products: Women's &amp; Girls' Health Series, LOK for Total Health, &amp; Diabetes Management.

LifeOnKey, Inc.

VP, Content & Communities

Clinical Appointment, Harvard Medical School, Psychiatry & Ob/Gyn

Scientific consultant and content manager for new web wellness portal and overseeing the creation of  women's health channel.  Responsibilities included assessing third party health education information and resources, creating new content and communities, and collaborating with other subject area  managers and health experts.

Revolution Health Group

Women's Health, Center Manager

Courses:  Health Issues in Counseling; Health Psychology Seminar; Individual Interventions

2005       Northeastern University

Adjunct Professor

Senior staff psychologist, Mind/Body Center for Women’s Health, group leader for 10-week programs to facilitate stress management, psychological support, healthy lifestyle behaviors, and use of mind/body strategies; instructor for professional trainings. Affiliated with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School.

Boston IVF

Staff Psychologist

Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology

Development of empirically-based behavioral health programs using innovative technologies. Projects are largely supported by the National Institutes of Health Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program.  

•	Awarded over $3 million in Small Business Innovative Research grants from the National Institutes of Health 
•	Conducted SBIR-funded research projects to create innovative interventions in digital health, including in areas of reproductive health (puberty, STD/HIV, prenatal genetic testing, infertility, and menopause), body image/nutrition/obesity prevention, child and maternal health and college student health (stress, eating disorders, STDs) 
•	Collaborated with designers, developers, and national clinical content experts  Evaluate programs with qualitative (e.g., user testing) and quantitative methods (e.g., RCTs). 
•	Disseminated research findings through publications and presentations.

Core skills: 
•	Competitive grant writing 
•	Research design and assessment development 
•	Product development and user experience (UX) methodology
•	Scriptwriting for video and animation
•	Project coordination with multi-media staff 
•	Focus group leader 
•	Management of randomized-controlled field trials 
•	Supervision of project managers and research personnel

Several projects and interventions have received recognition in peer reviewed journals and by professional groups, including the development of the Infertility Self-Efficacy Scale still used by researchers around the world.

Awards (see publications): 
Prize Paper (2004): Development and validation of the Infertility Self-Efficacy Scale,
60th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

Prize Paper (2002): A multimedia psychosocial support program for couples in infertility treatment: A feasibility study, 58th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

Inflexxion

Senior Research Scientist

Tara Cousineau's private practice includes coaching and consulting. It has evolved to KindMinds.co, a coaching practice for business leaders.  A particular focus is on mind-body health, positive psychology, and practices using mindfulness and self-compassion to develop confidence, purpose, and overall wellbeing. 

Dr. Cousineau is also involved in projects focused on strategic health communications to help health/wellness organizations and lifestyle brands create to promote optimal health and "living your best life." This work involves helping organizations develop or refine strategy through various methods, including iterative and formative research, mindful design in product development, and outcome assessment to support positive behavior change.

Clinical Psychologist & Behavioral Health Consulting

Harvard Clinical Fellow       Harvard Pilgrim Health Care

Clinical Post-Doctoral Fellow

for Mind-Body Health, group leader for 10-week programs to facilitate stress
           management, psychological support, healthy lifestyle behaviors, and use of mind/body
           strategies; individual and couple psychotherapy.

 1998+ Private Practice; Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Behavioral
         Medicine, sponsored by McLean Hospital. Site; 16 hours/week for six months. Training in behavioral
         medicine and behavior management with children and families.

2005+     Boston IVF, Inc

Senior Staff Psychologist

25 hours/week. Training in time-sensitive psychotherapy with children,
        adolescents and adults, group work, and emergency care.