William Hayes O’Brien
Faculty Member in Psychology
Fields of Interest: Mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, integrating Eastern and Western perspectives in clinical psychology research and practice, psychological assessment, contextual behavioral science, cardiovascular psychophysiology, behavioral medicine, occupational health psychology.
Education:
- Ph.D. Clinical Psychology, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, USA
- Clinical Psychology Internship, Case Western Reserve Medical School, Cleveland, USA
- Postdoctoral Training in Behavioral Medicine and Psychophysiology, Bowling Green State University, USA
Link to Webpage and CV:
https://www.bgsu.edu/arts-and-sciences/psychology/graduate-program/clinical/health-psychology/map-lab.html
Bio:
William H. O’Brien, Ph.D., ABPP, is joining Fulbright University in August 2026 as a professor of psychology. Prior to coming to FUV, Dr. O’Brien was a full professor in the APA—approved clinical psychology doctoral program at Bowling Green State University, USA. Dr. O’Brien is a board-certified clinical psychologist with specialization in cognitive behavioral therapy and behavioral medicine. Dr. O’Brien is the founder and director of the Mindful Behavior Therapy and Psychophysiology Lab (MAPLab) which is an international group of scientist-practitioners who are dedicated to advancing cross-cultural global mental health research and practice combined with understanding how biopsychosocial systems influence wellbeing.
Dr. O’Brien earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Illinois Institute of Technology and completed his APA-accredited clinical internship at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He went on to complete postdoctoral training in behavioral medicine and clinical psychophysiology at Bowling Green State University. Throughout his career, Dr. O’Brien has combined scientific training with a strong commitment to clinical practice, mentoring, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Dr. O’Brien’s research program spans more than three decades and includes over 100 journal articles and book chapters as well as two books in cognitive behavioral assessment and therapy. His scholarship addresses the integration of “3rd wave” cognitive behavioral therapies such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Functional Analytic Psychotherapy with Eastern contemplative perspectives and techniques; cross-cultural and global perspectives in mental health; stress and coping; cognitive behavioral assessment and case formulation; clinical psychophysiology; workplace health and safety; and behavioral medicine.
Dr. O’Brien’s recent research has examined the effectiveness of traditional ACT relative to Eastern Perspectives informed ACT (EPACT) for healthcare workers in the USA, Thailand, Cambodia, and Kazakhstan; a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of Buddhist-based interventions on wellbeing; prediction of health-protective behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic; heart rate variability and mindfulness; mindfulness meditation and its effect on heart rate variability; and occupational health psychology.
In addition to his work at Bowling Green State University, Dr. O’Brien was awarded an International Research Fellowship at Chiang Mai University in 2026 and was named the 2020/2021 Fulbright Distinguished Chair of Social Sciences to China and Thailand. He has been a visiting professor at Duke Kunshan University, East China Normal University, Chulalongkorn University, and Chiang Mai University. Dr. O’Brien regularly provides international workshops and professional training in mindfulness-based behavior therapy and behavioral medicine. He has chaired over 35 doctoral dissertations and has taught classes in health psychology, clinical assessment and therapy, abnormal psychology, psychophysiology, research methods, and East-West integration in mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy. Dr. O’Brien has received over $1.5 million in research and training grants and has also chaired many American Psychological Association accreditation site visits. Dr. O’Brien maintains a small private clinical practice specializing in behavioral medicine and evidence-based psychotherapy.
Recent Publications (since 2023):
Lim, C.X., Mueller, E., O’Brien, W. H. (in press). Perseverative cognition and vagally mediated heart rate variability in laboratory studies subjects: A series of meta-analyses. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 224, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2026.113368.
Uthayaratana, T., O’Brien, W. H., Teerapong, T., Peijsel, C., Boonyarit, I., Intapaj, T. B. (2026). Effects of Buddhist Interventions in their Original Context: A Meta-analysis. Mindfulness 17, 992–1033. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-026-02797-8
Bannon, E. E., O’Brien, W. H., Peijsel, C., Teerapong, T., Uthayaratana, T., Boonyarit, I., Chavanovanich, J. (2025). The effects of a brief acceptance-based behavior therapy intervention, a cognitive therapy intervention, and a placebo intervention on test anxiety and working memory performance. Journal of Cognitive Behavioral Psychology, 1-23 https://doi.org/10.1007/s41811-025-00273-0.
Sao, S. Poch, B., Lay, K., & O’Brien, W. H. (2025). The effects of marital disruption on anxiety, depression, and Cambodian somatic symptoms. International Journal of Social Psychiatry. doi: 10.1177/00207640251386899.
Kalantzis, M.A., Maitland, D. M., Yannon, M., Gaggiano, C. He, J., Barrita, A., Symmes, & O’Brien, W. H. (2025). Weight-based discrimination and cortisol output: A Systematic Review. Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology, 22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpnec.2025.100290.
Lim, C.X., Mueller, E., Short, L.B., Xia, R., Suvanbenjakule, P., O’Brien, W. H. (2025). Inflexible responses to uncertainty: The mediating role of psychological inflexibility in the link between intolerance of uncertainty, traumatic stress, and somatic symptoms. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/tra0001860
Short, L. B., Xia, R., O’Brien, W. H. (2025). Post-traumatic stress, cognitive fusion, and intolerance of uncertainty as longitudinal predictors of post-traumatic growth from the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2025.100894.
Moeller, M. & O’Brien, W. H. (2024). Integrating acceptance and commitment therapy with selective optimization with compensation. Clinical Gerontologist, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/07317115.2024.2432912
Wasson, R., S., O’Brien, W. H., Dietrich, K. M. (2024). Virtual wellness workshop for medical students: Effects on healthy lifestyle behavior. Peer-Reviewed Reports in Medical Education Research (PRiMER),8. https://doi: 10.22454/PRiMER.2024.293111
Maitland, D.W.M., Lim, C.X., O’Brien, W. H., Lewis, J., Davis, B. S. (2023). Respiratory sinus arrhythmia as a therapy measurement strategy: The example of functional analytic psychotherapy. Research Directs in Psychology and Behavior, 2 (1). https://doi.org/10.53520/rdts2023.10557
O’Brien, W. H., Peijsel, C., Koerten, H., Boonyarit, I., Lim, C. X., & Chavanovanich, J. (2023). Lesser degree of HR and HF-HRV recovery from an evaluative stressor is associated with higher levels of perfectionism and self-compassion. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 164, 104305. DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2023.104305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2023.104305.
O’Brien, W. H., Wang, S., Varga, A. V., Lim, C. X., Xu, H., Jarukasemthawee, S., Pisitsungkagarn, K., Suvanbenjakule, P., Braden, A. (2023). Psychological flexibility prospectively predicts COVID-19 PPE use across a two-month interval. Psychology, Health, and Medicine, 29 (3), 484-491. https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2022.2162936
O’Brien, W. H., Watford, T., Lim, C. X., Simms, T., Jarukasemthawee, S., Pisitsungkagarn, K., Suvanbenjakule, P., Settawacharawanich, S. (2023). An examination of orienting and defensive responses using HR and HF-HRV. Journal of Psychophysiology. https://doi.org/10.1027/0269-8803/a000320
Kalantzis, M., Lim, C.X., Dauber, A., Studer-Perez, E., Silverman, Z., & O’Brien, W. H. (2023). Acculturative stress and disordered eating: A meta-analysis. Eating Behaviors, 48, 1 – 9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2022.101694.
