UMass Boston

Computer model of a brain floats above a desk and a laptop.
Minds at Work Certificate

Gaining insights into human behavior in high-pressure settings.

A professional development grounded in neuroscience research experience focused on stress, resilience, communication, leadership, and human connection.

Minds at Work is a 16-week, 32-hour certificate program for professionals in high-pressure roles. It explores how stress, trauma, identity, perception, and nervous system regulation impact performance, leadership, communication, and well-being. Grounded in neuroscience, lived experience, and applied practice, the program helps participants recognize what happens in the brain and body in response to stress and develop strategies for regulation, resilience, recovery, and human-centered leadership.

Participants engage in guided reflection, experiential activities, neuroscience instruction, peer discussion, and capstone portfolio development throughout the program.

Program Highlights

  • 16-Week Guided Learning Experience
  • Applied, Experiential Learning
  • Capstone Portfolio Development
  • Professional Development Grounded in Neuroscience Research
  • Human-Centered Leadership & Communication

Schedule

In-person & Online:
October 7, 2026 - January 20, 2027

Register

Men and Woman at work

Who is this program for?

This program is designed for professionals across a wide range of fields, including:

  • Healthcare and behavioral health professionals
  • Educators and school personnel
  • Public safety and law enforcement professionals
  • Human service and nonprofit leaders
  • Managers, supervisors, and organizational leaders
  • Higher education professionals
  • Community-based practitioners
  • Individuals working in high-stress or emotionally demanding environments

No prior neuroscience background is required.

Female using a laptop with books on the table

What will you learn?

Participants will explore:

  • The neuroscience of stress, burnout, trauma, and recovery
  • Nervous system regulation and emotional resilience
  • The impact of self-talk, identity, and perception on performance
  • Communication and co-regulation in high-pressure environments
  • Emotional contagion and leadership presence
  • Trauma-informed approaches to human interaction
  • Neuroplasticity and behavioral change
  • Practical strategies to improve well-being, communication, and professional effectiveness

Plan Your Education

Schedule & Registration

Schedule:
October 7 - January 20
Days/Times: Wednesdays 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. ET
Modality: In-person* & Online
Tuition: $1,195

* All in-person classes are held at the UMB Campus Police Multi-Media Room in the Quinn Administration Building

Register

Registration:
Enrollment is open to adults (18+), no prior neuroscience background is required.

For more information, contact:
Stacey Lloyd, PhD, Chief of Police
University of Massachusetts Boston
100 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, MA 02125
Stacey.Lloyd@umb.edu

Program Format

Month One: The Mind Under Pressure
Stress response, nervous system patterns, compassion fatigue, joy domain.

Month Two: Identity, Perception & Neural Branding
Examine self-talk, professional identity gap, implicit bias, and neuroplasticity.

Month Three: Stress Transmission & Human Connection
Learn how emotional states, communication, and co-regulation shape relationships and organizational environments.

Month Four: Healing, Resilience & the Power of the Mind
Focus on resilience, goal setting, strategic purpose, neuroplasticity, happiness, and capstone presentations.

* Please note this class is not intended for therapy.

Learning Experience & Outcomes

Learning Experience
Each session includes:

  • Guided meditation and nervous system check-ins
  • Neuroscience instruction in accessible language
  • Reflective discussion and peer engagement
  • Hands-on experiential activities
  • Workbook integration and portfolio reflection
  • Applied professional practice strategies

Learning Outcomes

  • Neuroscience & Stress Awareness
  • Self-Awareness, Identity & Professional Presence
  • Perception, Bias & Human Interaction
  • Communication, Co-Regulation & Leadership
  • Applied Reflection & Professional Growth

By the end of this program, participants will be able to:

  • Identify and explain key neurobiological mechanisms involved in the human stress response, including cortisol activation, the HPA axis, allostatic load, and prefrontal cortex impairment under stress.
  • Recognize physical, emotional, and behavioral indicators of stress activation within themselves and others.
  • Differentiate between acute stress, chronic stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue in professional environments.
  • Analyze how chronic stress affects cognition, emotional regulation, decision-making, and interpersonal interactions.
  • Describe how trauma and adverse experiences influence nervous system development, regulation, and long-term behavioral patterns.
  • Develop individualized recovery and resilience plans that incorporate evidence-based regulation practices and joy-centered interventions.
  • Analyze how identity, lived experiences, implicit beliefs, and social conditioning shape professional interactions and self-perception.
  • Analyze how stress and bias influence interpretation, communication, and decision-making in high-pressure environments.
  • Apply neuroplasticity principles to reshape patterns of thinking, interpretation, and interaction.
  • Apply co-regulation techniques that support psychological safety, collaboration, and productive learning or work environments.
  • Engage in reflective practice through guided portfolio development and capstone activities.

Certificate in Human Experience and Resilience

Student Expectations:
  • Weekly assignment completion (ungraded)
  • Must attend 13 of 16 weeks
  • Complete capstone project and presentation
  • Honest engagement and respect for cohort members

Instructor

Image of Dr Stacey Lloyd, Chief of Police at UMass Boston
Dr. Stacey Y. Lloyd, PhD

Dr. Stacey Y. Lloyd, Ph.D. is Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety at the University of Massachusetts Boston and founder of GoldMind Consultants LLC. A former New Jersey State Trooper who rose to Captain, she was the 9th African American female trooper hired by the New Jersey State Police since 1921. She holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy, is a certified professional life coach (IPEC), and is the author of the Lloyd Trilogy — I Can Do It!, Arrested by Our Minds, and When Two Minds Meet. Minds at Work is the program that brings two decades of her research to life.