A Conversation with Ashley Mason, PhD

What drives your work as an integrative clinical psychologist and sleep psychologist?

When you’re not sleeping well, it’s a 24-hour-a-day problem that affects many aspects of your life. Nothing is better than hearing how people’s lives blossom once their sleep improves. They enjoy their days more, their relationships with loved ones are better, they feel more satisfied with and engaged in their work, and they feel healthier overall. These outcomes keep me excited about developing treatments and programs to promote sleep health. 

You’re advising the new Vail Healthspan program. What advice would you give to people who want to improve their long-term health and wellness?

Prioritize your sleep but live your life. Aim to wake up at the same time each day, yet allow yourself to enjoy special events before getting back on track. This principle applies not only to sleep, but also to exercise, food, alcohol, and other lifestyle factors.  

As a key collaborator with the Vail Health Behavioral Health Innovation Center, how has your background and training shaped your approach to mental health research?

My training as a clinical psychological scientist is the bedrock of my approach to designing clinical trials that test mind-body interventions for mental health. I create interventions with three things in mind: the people they’ll serve, the systems that will deliver them, and how they can fit into the landscape of “holistic health care” we long for—not necessarily the “sick care” model we often see today.