MAPP16 Capstone Roundup: Well-Being in Focus During COVID-19

The journey of the University of Pennsylvania MAPP.16 (or Sweet 16 as we call ourselves) was different from the start. The class of 2020-2021 was the first all-remote MAPP program, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To undertake the study of positive psychology during a global crisis was surreal, difficult, and ultimately, an amazing gift. The fear around our own well-being, and the well-being of others, was omnipresent as we watched country after country struggle through the pandemic. We experienced the victory of vaccines being developed and becoming available! Most importantly, well-being took on new meaning for each of us as we shifted our thinking on what it means to flourish and thrive.

The collective capstones of MAPP.16 are the final project of a year like no other. The words “COVID-19” and “pandemic” appear in many of the capstones and represent a moment in time reflected in our group conscience. The first remote MAPP program was an incredible success from our perspective, and we are particularly grateful and proud of the community we built.

We interviewed several of our classmates who reflected on their capstone experience and how this unprecedented year impacted their writing and work going forward. Here, we offer a summary of insights from some of our fellow classmates. Their capstones can be found on Penn Scholarly Commons.

What was the title and focus of your capstone?

Capstone topics ranged from personal to professional well-being. In her capstone “The Revolutionary Force of Self-Compassion for Girls and Women,” Erin Dullea addressed the high occurrence of psychological disorders and stress among girls and women resulting from, among other things, high levels of shame and self-criticism. Erin’s capstone illustrates how self-compassion can address the inner conflict and produce stabilizing and powerful downstream effects, including greater belonging, safety, wholeness, resilience, self-authorship, and agency. Paige DeLacey’s capstone “Unmasked: COVID-19 and the Crisis of Well-Being in College Students” conducted original research to investigate what college students experienced and needed during the pandemic. Martin Frey’s “Why Adventure Matters: Using adventure as a positive intervention to strengthen character and improve well-being” and Cheryl Eisen’s “The Underview Effect: Awe Under the Sea, Diving for Well-Being” both explored the effects of nature and adventure on well-being.

Looking at well-being in the workplace, Kristen Jonason explored the value of investing in employee well-being, which can lead to greater customer satisfaction, greater productivity, and potentially higher stock prices. Several of our classmates suggested well-being strategies for specific professions. In “Auditor Strong: A C.P.A. Plan for Resilience: How Character Strengths, Purpose, and Adapting to Stress Can Help Public Accountants Survive and Thrive,” Wesley Hitchcock provides sixteen practical interventions that those interested in increasing their colleagues’ and their own well-being can use to increase resilience. In her capstone “The Somatically Intelligent Lawyer: The Physicality of Practicing Law,” Heidi K. Brown proposes that lawyers and law students consider the athletic/performance concepts of rehabilitation, eustress, allostasis, and proprioception to understand how bodies, brains, and minds must work in tandem to produce a flourishing life. Brittany Sutton explores the effects of COVID-19 on health care workers in her capstone “Healing the Hearts of Healers: A Framework to Cultivate Flourishing and Combat Burnout in Healthcare.”

What about your capstone felt particularly relevant during this time?

The pandemic spotlighted the importance of our bodies and health, inviting us to pay closer attention to how we take care of ourselves. Heidi Brown’s capstone demonstrated how being in touch with our physical health shapes other dimensions of well-being: emotional, social, spiritual, occupational, and more. Wes Hitchock discovered that COVID-19 exacerbated the antecedents of burnout, including emotional exhaustion, lack of self-efficacy, and cynicism. He found that the cumulative toll of the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic and additional stressors such as managing childcare and working without the camaraderie of in-person teams has taken a toll on C.P.A.s who wonder if the long hours are worth the struggle as they try to find meaning in their jobs. As Kristen Jonason notes in her capstone that the media is rife with stories about the Great Resignation, suggesting that employee well-being is a particularly relevant topic for the retention and attraction of team members at all levels. Kristen offers recommendations to organizations trying to help employees feel balanced, healthy, and happy work during these unprecedented times. Brittany Sutton offers a framework for improving organizational culture within the medical profession and healing the medical system and the clinicians who work within it, especially important in the era of COVID-19.

Paige DeLacey found that college students are tuned in to their well-being and are highly interested in a positive psychology curriculum that teaches practical strategies on habit, relationships, and communication. When applied, this curriculum has a positive impact on well-being and the college experience. As Erin Dullea writes, COVID-19 has exacerbated the mental health crisis and the care burden placed on women both in the US and abroad. She finds that the tender side of self-compassion helps us to nurture, soothe, and comfort ourselves in the midst of pain and difficulties; the fierce side of self-compassion enables us to create healthy boundaries, rise up and take actions when needed and prevent and repair harm done to ourselves and others. Erin sees self-compassion as a strategy for both resilience and empowerment that will assist us in the recovery from the fallout of COVID-19.

How did your own understanding of your capstone topic shift or change as you completed your research?

Kristen Jonason noted that it is not just the responsibility of the individual or the organization to improve well-being: it is both/and. Individuals can practice a variety of techniques and strategies that are meaningful and relevant, including meditation, exercise, gratitude practices, and seeking professional help. It is also important for organizations and leaders to be compassionate, and to create policies and practices in the workplace, including offering flexibility and autonomy in scheduling, and fostering relationships within the workplace. These are critical business strategies as employees are continually evaluating their workplaces. Wesley Hitchcock also established that dealing with burnout was a problem to be solved at both the individual and team level, and found that there are a variety of ways to increase resilience among professionals. He identified the power of relationships and positive teams to stem burnout through simple activities such as strength-spotting. Wesley also suggests that professional firms have an opportunity to differentiate themselves by providing resilience training to employees that lead to post-traumatic growth from busy seasons exacerbated by COVID-19. Heidi Brown found that analogizing law students and lawyers to athletes and performers can help motivate legal stakeholders to take well-being initiatives seriously. The HEAL (Hope, Engagement, Action, Lead) framework developed by Brittany Sutton suggests that healing the healers, using positive psychology practices informed by the unique culture of medical organizations, is possible.

In her research, Paige DeLacey discovered that mental health and stress, anxiety, and managing workload have been growing problems among college students for several years. In writing her capstone, Erin Dullea started to consider social learning theory and how people learn to relate to themselves through observation of norms and of those close to us. She notes how we adopt standards of self-evaluation through witnessing behaviors modeled by those around us. She identifies the potential power in – and necessity of – modeling self-compassion for girls and lighting the way to a wiser, healthier, and more resilient way of being.

How do you envision incorporating your capstone into your work or life going forward?

Now that the formal academic requirements are completed, MAPP 16 graduates continue to be committed to learning and application of well-being practices. Some have already made significant changes in their personal or professional lives; others are considering their next right step. Most everyone is continuing to seek to understand and nurture their own well-being and that of their families, co-workers, employees, and communities.

Erin Dullea, Paige DeLacey, and Heidi Brown are pursuing coaching certifications. Heidi is also finishing her third book in a series on authentic personal development for the legal profession. Kristen Jonason is looking forward to using her research in conjunction with her facilitation and advising skills to help leaders create personalized strategies or policies to help improve the well-being of employees. Wesley Hitchcock is implementing his C.P.A. plan and facilitating seminars on resilience skills. Wes may have summed it up best when he says that he has learned “how to be a better air traffic controller for my thoughts, creating more space for positive and intentional responses to stressors… no matter what adaptations COVID-19 requires us to make.”

Cheryl Eisen (C’21) has had a varied career with many chapters. She started as a lawyer for an international computer company negotiating technology transfer and research and development agreements. Following her passion, she next worked as a biomedical research scientist studying the biochemical pathways of cell death. She then led a non-profit adult education organization. In her last chapter, she served as the science department chair at an independent school. Cheryl is currently retired and spending time hiking, skiing, and scuba diving.

Paige DeLacey (C’21) is a former chief people officer for technology and consumer product companies. She is a certified coach, currently advising start-ups, and acts as a guest lecturer on well-being for college students. Paige is passionate about helping individuals achieve their potential through application of positive psychology strategies to empower people to make their lives better. Paige is the mother of two college students and lives with her husband in San Francisco.