Dr. Donna Rockwell was a mindfulness meditation teacher, with expertise developed over years in Shambhala International meditation training and the Harvard University Continuing Education Program in Meditation and Psychotherapy. Dr. Rockwell was a grant recipient of Marjorie S. Fisher (Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation) for The Mindfulness Initiative through which Dr. Rockwell designed the Mindfulness and Psychotherapy curriculum in the Michigan School of Professional Psychology’s (MiSPP) doctoral program, training graduate students in mindfulness-based theory and clinical practice. Dr. Rockwell was also a researcher in the field of mindfulness and its role in clinical psychology training and practice, presenting her original research findings at annual meetings of the American Psychological Association, as well as at national and international conferences, including the Second International Conference on Existential Psychology in Shanghai China, in May 2012.

Dr. Rockwell’s other research interest included media psychology. Her research findings on the phenomenology of fame and celebrity are published in the Journal of Phenomenological Psychology, and are a chapter in the book, Film and Television Stardom. Dr. Rockwell is a celebrity mental health expert quoted in major media, like USA Today, ABCNews.com, and on radio and TV. Her commentary on the role of Humanistic psychology in the DSM-5 reform movement is published in The Humanistic Psychologist. Dr. Rockwell has a master’s in Journalism and Public Affairs from American University.

Dr. Rockwell was a student of Humanistic psychology founder, Clark Moustakas, PhD, at the Center for Humanistic Studies, where she was trained by him in human science and qualitative research inquiry, including the Phenomenological research model and his person-centered Heuristic research method. Her training included existential-humanistic psychotherapy, existential dream analysis, and play therapy. At his retirement, Dr. Rockwell was invited to teach Dr. Moustakas’ qualitative research course at MiSPP. She also serves as Dissertation Chair on various qualitative research committees.

In her clinical work, Dr. Rockwell was an existential-humanistic psychologist in private practice, working with individuals, couples and adolescents in New York City and Farmington Hills, Michigan. Dr. Rockwell was a former TV journalist, covering Capitol Hill, the White House, and national politics for CNN and WRC-TV in Washington, D.C. She was the mental health expert on WDIV-TV, and a regular contributor to Detroit’s Ambassador Magazine, in her column Being & Becoming. She was a blogger for Huffington Post in her column Mindfulness in Everyday Living.

Courses she used to teach include: Mindfulness and Psychotherapy; Foundations and Applications of Qualitative Research; Core Concepts in Humanistic Psychology; Group Process and Communication; Community Outreach in Psychology; and Professional Writing Seminar.

The Michigan School of Psychology honored Dr Donna Rockwell in this beautiful memorial on October 7, 2023.