McGill.CA / McGill Mindfulness Research Lab / Our Team / Graduate Students

Isabel Sadowski

Program

Ph.D. Year 5, Counselling Psychology

Supervisor

Dr. Bassam El-Khoury

Previous Education

MA Counselling Psychology (Project Stream), McGill, 2019

BA Major in Psychology, Minors in Behavioural Science and Geography, McGill, 2016

Connect On

ResearchGate

Isabel is a doctoral candidate in Counselling Psychology at McGill University. She holds a B.A. in Psychology with Distinction and an M.A. in Counselling Psychology from McGill. Her SSHRC-funded master’s research project examined the relationship between facets of mindfulness, nature-relatedness, and well-being in emerging adulthood. Presently, Isabel is interested in the development of nature-based mindfulness and compassion interventions using virtual reality to support older adults' mental health and well-being. As part of her doctoral research program, she is developing and testing a 4-week VR-based meditation intervention in collaboration with Super Sublime, a Montreal-based not-for-profit company. She is funded by the SSHRC CGS Doctoral Award, the Mitacs Accelerate program, and the Jackie Kirk Fieldwork Support Fund.

Isabel has completed clinical practicums at the Centre for Personalized Psychological Interventions (Ci3P) at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, and at Medipsy Psychological Services.

Research Publications

PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS
  • Mettler, J., Khoury, B., Zito, S., Sadowski, I., & Heath, N. L. (2023). Mindfulness-based programs and school adjustment: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of School Psychology, 97, 43-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2022.10.007
  • Sadowski, I. & Khoury, B. (2022). Nature-Based Mindfulness-Compassion Programs Using Virtual Reality for Older Adults: A Narrative Literature Review. Frontiers in Virtual Reality, 3(892905). https://doi.org/10.3389/frvir.2022.892905
  • Heshmati, R., Khoury, B., Azmoodeh, S., Zerang, M., & Sadowski, I. (2022). The effect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on Emotional Flexibility and Ambivalence Over Emotional Expression in Divorced Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0000000000001619
  • Khoury, B., Vergara, R.C., Sadowski, I., & Spinelli, C. (2021). Embodied Mindfulness Questionnaire: Scale Development and Validation. Assessment. https://doi.org/10.1177/10731911211059856
  • Anand, L., Sadowski, I., Per, M., & Khoury, B. (2021). Mindful Parenting: A Meta-Analytic Review of Psychological Outcomes from a Developmental Perspective. Current Psychology, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02111-w
  • Sadowski, I., Böke, N., Mettler, J., Heath, N., & Khoury, B. (2020). Naturally mindful? The role of mindfulness facets in the relationship between nature relatedness and subjective well-being. Current Psychology, 41, 5358-5373. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01056-w
  • Vailati-Riboni. F., Sadowski, I., Comazzi, B., & Pagnini, F. (2020). Mindful age and technology: A qualitative analysis of a tablet/smartphone app intervention designed for older adults. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 56, 739-754. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-020-09580-x
  • Carsley, D., Sadowski, I., Heath, N. L., Montoro, R., & Miller, S. (2020). Acceptability and effectiveness of a brief mindfulness workshop for medical residents. Focus on Health Professional Education, 21(3), 15-29.
  • Carletto, S., Cavalera, C., Sadowski, I., Rovaris, M., Borghi, M., Khoury, B., Ostacoli, L., & Pagnini, F. (2020). Mindfulness-based interventions to improve psychological and physical functioning in people with multiple sclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychosomatic Medicine, 82(6), 600-613. https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000000819
  • Per, M., Spinelli, C., Sadowski, I., Anand, L., Schmelefske, E., & Khoury, B. (2019). Evaluating the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in incarcerated populations: A meta-analysis. Criminal Justice and Behaviour, 47(3), 310-330. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854819891457
  • Shulman, B., Dueck, R., Ryan, D., Breau, G., Sadowski, I., Misri, S. (2018). Feasibility of a Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Group Intervention as an Adjunctive Treatment for Postpartum Depression and Anxiety. Journal of Affective Disorders, 235, 61-67. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.12.065

 

CONTRIBUTIONS TO COLLECTIVE WORKS
  • Khoury, B., Vergara, R., Spinelli, C. & Sadowski, I. (2023). Embodied Mindfulness Questionnaire (EMQ). In O.N. Medvedev, C.U. Krageloh, R.J. Siegert, & N.N. Singh. (Eds.) Handbook of assessment in mindfulness research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77644-2_74-1
  • Khoury, B., Vergara, R., Spinelli, C. & Sadowski, I. (2023). Interpersonal Mindfulness Questionnaire (IMQ). In O.N. Medvedev, C.U. Krageloh, R.J. Siegert, & N.N. Singh. (Eds.) Handbook of assessment in mindfulness research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77644-2_75-1

 

Conference Presentations

  • Sadowski, I., Gagnon-Mailhot, M., Khoury, B., Pagé, G., Lamontagne, A., Tapp, D., Levac, D., Glegg, S., Bissonnette, J., Cinalioglu, K., Sekhon, H., Rainville, P., Léonard, G., & Bordeleau, M. (2023, September). La réalité virtuelle immersive en centre d’hébergement et de soins de longue durée : Une étude pilote. Poster accepted for presentation at the 12th Congrès International Francophone de Gérontologie et Gériatrie, Montréal, QC.
  • Sadowski, I., Aguilar Trejo, E., & Khoury, B. (2023, June). Examining a nature-based mindfulness-compassion program delivered via virtual reality: Applications for older adults. Talk accepted for presentation at the 84th Annual National Convention of the Canadian Psychological Association, Toronto, ON.
  • Bordeleau, M., Sadowski, I., Gagnon-Mailhot, M., Lamontage, A., Pagé, G., Khoury, B., Tapp, D., Levac, D., Glegg, S., Cinalioglu, K., Sekhon, H., Rainville, P., & Léonard, G. (2023, May). Étude pilote sur l’utilisation de la réalité virtuelle immersive en centre d’hébergement et de soins de longue durée. Talk presented at the 90th Annual Acfas Convention, Montreal, QC.
  • Böke, B. N., Mettler, J., Riondino, G., Sadowski, I., Heath, N. L. (2023, June). “Mindfulness doesn’t work for me”: You’re doing it all wrong! Talk accepted for presentation at the 11th Conference on Emerging Adulthood (11CEA), San Diego, CA.
  • Cho, S., Petrovic, J., Bastien, L., Fournier, S., Böke, B.N., Mettler, J., Sadowski, I., & Heath, N. (2022, June). Is linguistic experience related to dispositional mindfulness in university students? Poster session presented at the 83rd Annual National Convention of the Canadian Psychological Association, Calgary, AB.
  • Milad, J., Mettler, J., Fournier, S., Kiafar, A., Sadowski, I., Weintraub, G., & Heath, N. L. (2022, May). E-mental health resource provision for adolescents: Development & implementation of a best-practice guide. Poster session presented at the Société Québécoise pour la Recherche en Psychologie (SQRP) Conference, Saint-Sauveur, QC.
  • Sadowski, I., Bastien, L., Milad, J., Mettler, J., Weintraub, G., & Heath, N.L. (2021, October). School Mental Health Professionals’ Role in Online Resource Provision. Poster presented virtually at the 2021 Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health, Baltimore, MD.
  • Mettler, J., Khoury, B., Zito, S., Sadowski, I., & Heath, N. L. (2021, July). Mindfulness-based programs and school adjustment: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Oral presentation at the International Conference on Mindfulness (ICM) 2021, Aarhus, Denmark.
  • Heath, N. L., Boke, B.N., Zito, S., Sadowski, I., Petrovic, J., Carsley, D., Argento, A., & Rodger, S. (2020, June). Developing, delivering, adapting, and evaluating a program to enhance resilience in undergraduate students. Oral presentation submitted for presentation to the annual Canadian Association of College & University Student Services (CACUSS) conference in Toronto, ON, Canada. *Cancelled due to COVID-19*
  • Böke, B. N., Argento, A., Zito, S., Petrovic, J., Sadowski, I., Carsley, D., & Heath, N. L. (2020, June). Multi-media approaches in teacher education: An initiative to support pre-service teacher well-being. Talk submitted for presentation at the annual Supporting Active Learning & Technological Innovation in Studies of Education (SALTISE) conference, Montreal, QC. *Cancelled due to COVID-19*
  • Sadowski, I., Böke, B. N., Mettler, J., Heath, N. L., & Khoury, B. (2020, May). Mindfulness facets and nature relatedness: Implications for well-being. Talk accepted for presentation at the 81st Annual National Convention of the Canadian Psychological Association, Montréal, QC. *Cancelled due to COVID-19*
  • Sadowski, I., Böke, B.N, Zito, S., Petrovic, J., Carsley, D., Argento, A., Rodgers, S., Heath, N.L. (2020, May). Tracking the trajectory of integrating well-being education in a teacher preparation program. Paper accepted for presentation at the 48th Canadian Society for the Study of Education Conference, London, ON. *Cancelled due to COVID-19*
  • Böke, B. N., Sadowski, I., Mettler, J., Bastien, L., & Heath, N. L. (2020, May). Loneliness and coping ability in emerging adulthood. Talk accepted for presentation at the 81st Annual National Convention of the Canadian Psychological Association, Montréal, QC. *Cancelled due to COVID-19*
  • Petrovic, J., Böke, B. N., Sadowski, I., Mettler, J., & Heath, N. L. (2020, May). Emerging adulthood: Feeling in-between and subsequent associations with social-emotional wellbeing. Poster accepted for presentation at the 32nd annual Association for Psychological Science (APS) conference, Chicago, IL, USA. *Cancelled due to COVID-19*
  • Petrovic, J., Böke, B. N., Sadowski, I., Mettler, J., & Heath, N. L. (2020, May). Emerging adult self-perceptions predict well-being. Talk accepted for presentation at the 81st annual Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) conference, Montreal, QC. *Cancelled due to COVID-19*
  • Petrovic, J., Böke, B. N., Sadowski, I., Mettler, J., & Heath, N. L. (2020, April). Subjective well-being in emerging adulthood: The predictive role of self-perceptions. Poster presentation submitted to McGill's 5th Annual Human Development Student Research Conference, Montreal, QC. *Cancelled due to COVID-19*
  • Heath, N. L., Argento, A., Boke, B. N., Zito, S., Sadowski, I., & Carsley, D. (2019, November). Development, implementation and evaluation of a pre-service teacher’s stress management and resilience program. Invited webinar presentation for Physical and Health Education (PHE) Canada’s Teach Resiliency Education Series.
  • Sadowski, I., Böke, B. N., Mettler, J., Heath, N. L., & Khoury, B. (2019, October). Naturally Mindful? The association between nature relatedness, mindfulness, and positive and negative affect in emerging adult university students. Poster presented at the 9th Biennial Conference of the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood, Toronto, ON.
  • Sadowski, I., Böke, B. N., Mettler, J., Heath, N. L., & Khoury, B. (2019, April). The role of nature relatedness and mindfulness in emerging adults’ levels of positive and negative affected. Poster presented at the 4th Annual Human Development Conference, Montreal, QC.
  • Böke, B. N., Zito, S., Sadowski, I., Carsley, D., & Heath, N. L. (2019, June). A national survey on pre-Service teachers’ stress-management and well-being needs. Paper presented at the 47th Canadian Society for the Study of Education Conference, Vancouver, BC.
  • Zito, S., Böke, B. N., Sadowski, I., Carsley, D., Petrovic, J. & Heath, N. L. (2019, June). Supporting pre-service teachers’ mental health and well-being. Poster session presented at the Canadian Association of College & University Student Services (CACUSS) Conference, Calgary, AB.
  • Zito, S., Böke, B. N., Sadowski, I., Petrovic, J., Carsley, D. & Heath, N. L. (2019, March). Regulating emotions and stress in pre-service teachers (RESST): A stress management and well-being program. Oral presentation presented at the 18th Annual Education Graduate Students’ Society Conference, McGill University, Montreal, QC.
  • Zito, S., Böke, B. N., Sadowski, I., Carsley, D., Petrovic, J. & Heath, N. L. (2019, March). Supporting pre-service teachers’ mental health and well-being: A needs assessment. Poster session presented at the Department of Education Graduate Symposium, Concordia University, Montreal, QC.
  • Per, M., Spinelli, C., Sadowski, I., Anand, L., Schmelefke, E., & Khoury, B. (2018, November) The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Forensic Inpatient Populations: A Meta-Analysis. Poster presented at the Mind and Life International Symposium for Contemplative Research, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
  • Spinelli, C., Carrière, K., Paradis-Gagné, E., Per, M., Wisener, M., Sadowski, I., & Khoury, B. (2018, July). Mindfulness and yoga training as adjunctive therapies in forensic patient treatment. In M. Hoeve (Chair), Mindfulness in the Justice System. Symposium conducted at the International Conference on Mindfulness 2018, Amsterdam, NL.
  • Anand, L., Sadowski, I., Per, M., & Khoury, B. (2018, June). Mindful parenting: A meta-analysis reviewing outcomes from a developmental perspective. Poster presented at the International Congress of Applied Psychology, Montreal, QC.
  • Spinelli, C., Carrière, K., Paradis-Gagné, E., Per, M., Wisener, M., Sadowski, I., & Khoury, B. (2018, June). Evaluating the use of mindfulness based strategies and yoga in improving the well-being of forensic inpatients at the Institut Philippe-Pinel de Montréal. Poster presented at the International Congress of Applied Psychology, Montreal, QC.
  • Sadowski, I., Carsley, D., Montoro, R., Miller, S., & Heath, N. (2018, May). Feasibility, Acceptability and Effectiveness of a Brief Mindfulness Workshop for Medical Residents. Poster presented at the 4th Canadian Conference on Positive Psychology, Toronto, ON.
  • Spinelli, C., Carrière, K., Paradis-Gagné, E., Per, M., Wisener, M., Sadowski, I., & El-Khoury, B. (2018, May). Using mindfulness and yoga to treat forensic inpatients. Poster presented at A Mindful Society, Toronto, ON.
  • Anand, L., Sadowski, I., Per, M., & El-Khoury, B. (2018, May). Mindful parenting from prenatal to adolescence: A meta-analysis. Poster presented at A Mindful Society, Toronto, ON.
  • Sadowski, I., Carsley, D., Montoro, R., Miller, S., & Heath, N. (2018, April). Evaluation of a Brief Mindfulness Workshop for Medical Residents. Poster presented at the 3rd Annual Human Development Conference, Montreal, QC.
  • Sadowski, I., Ong, S., Misri, S. (2017, May). Paternal postpartum depression: A review of the literature. Poster presented at the UBC Department of Psychiatry Annual Research Day, Vancouver, BC.
  • Mettler, J., Mills, D., Sadowski, I., & Heath, N. (2016, August). Symptoms of problematic video game use, subjective well-being, and the mediating role of mindfulness. Poster presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association, APA, Denver, CO.
  • Sadowski, I., Levinson, A., Robins, S., Miner, S., & Zelkowitz, P. (2016, June). Factors associated with the provision of fertility preservation information to male cancer patients: patient and health care provider perspectives. Poster presented at the Lady Davis Institute Scientific Retreat, Montreal, QC.
  • Sadowski, I., Levinson, A., Robins, S., Miner, S., & Zelkowitz, P. (2016, April). Fertility preservation information and the barriers to its provision for Canadian cancer patients and health care professionals. Poster presented at the Human Development Conference, Montreal, QC.
  • Mettler, J., Mills, D., Sadowski, I., & Health, N. (2016, April). Trait mindfulness in gamers: Implications for well-being. Poster presented at the Human Development Conference, Montreal, QC.

Funding

  • Mitacs Accelerate, 2023, $15,000
  • Jackie Kirk Fieldwork Support Fund, 2023, $7,000
  • Mitacs Accelerate, 2022, $30,000 
  • Canada Graduate Scholarship – Doctoral, SSHRC, 2020, $105,000 
  • Fonds de recherche société et culture – Bourses de doctorat en recherche, 2020, $84,000 (declined)
  • McGill Graduate Excellence Fellowship, 2019, $8,000 
  • Canada Graduate Scholarship – Masters, SSHRC, 2018, $17,500 
  • McGill Graduate Excellence Fellowship, $3,500 

 

Awards

  • Funded trainee at the CIHR - Institute of Aging: Summer Program in Aging, 2023
  • Nominated by the McGill University ECP Department for the APA Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology (COGDOP) Graduate Student Scholarship, 2022
  • Graduate Research Enhancement and Travel (GREAT) Award, McGill, 2021
  • Adolescent Wellness and Community Engagement Award, McGill, 2020
  • GREAT Award, McGill, 2020 - Graduate Student Enhancement Award for Research Development, McGill, 2019
  • Graduate Mobility Award, McGill, 2018
  • Graduate Student Enhancement Award for Research Development, McGill, 2018
  • Graduated with Distinction, McGill, 2016
  • Dean’s Honour List – McGill, 2013-2015
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