Michelle Pearce, PhD, is a professor at the University of Maryland Graduate School and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University Medical Center.  

Pearce is a clinical psychologist licensed to practice in Maryland, with a specialty in cognitive behavioral therapy, mind-body stress reduction methods, and coping with illness. She researches the relationship between religion/spirituality, coping, and health, as well as the integration of spirituality into the practice of psychotherapy.

Her current research includes the development of Spiritually Integrative Cognitive Processing Therapy to treat moral injury and PTSD among veterans and active duty military service members. She is the co-developer of the national online training program for mental health providers called Spiritual Competency Training in Mental Health.

She is the author of “Night Bloomers: 12 Principles for Thriving in Adversity” as well as “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Christians with Depression: A Practical, Tool-Based Primer and is co-author of Religion and Recovery from PTSD.”

Pearce received her PhD from Yale University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in cognitive behavioral therapy at Duke University Medical Center and a second fellowship in spirituality and health at the Duke Center for Spirituality, Theology, and Health.

She has a passion for the application of clinical research to improve patient care and quality of life. She is also committed to teaching and training students and health care professionals. She directs two graduate certificate programs — Integrative Health and Wellness and Science Communication — and teaches a number of graduate courses. She is also a faculty liaison at the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning at UMB where she helps faculty members improve their teaching skills and effectiveness in the classroom. Her life mission is to equip and empower people to prosper mind, body, and spirit.