From near‑death crisis to PhD, the School of Social Work adjunct professor and alumni board of directors member has transformed her healing journey into faith‑rooted, mind‑body work that helps others.
For years, Malaysia Harrell, PhD, LICSW, LCSW-C, BCD, poured her energy into helping others heal while quietly navigating her own path of survival.
An adjunct professor and UMSSW Alumni Board of Directors member, Harrell celebrates earning her PhD in Mind-Body Medicine from Saybrook University — a milestone that signifies far more than academic accomplishment. It embodies resilience, healing, transformation, and a steadfast decision to keep moving forward through some of life’s hardest seasons.
After more than two decades of military service and leadership in behavioral health, Harrell’s life shifted dramatically when she faced a severe health crisis and near-death experience. Multiple surgeries, chronic illness, emotional exhaustion, and medical retirement forced her to face a reality many high-achieving professionals know all too well: Success does not always equal wellness.
Like many women socialized to endure by overperforming, taking on responsibility, and constantly achieving, Harrell pushed herself beyond her physical and emotional limits — until her body made it clear she could not continue. That breaking point became the catalyst for a deeper healing journey, ultimately leading her to the field of mind-body medicine. In this work, she now weaves together trauma-informed care, emotional wellness, nervous system regulation, faith-based healing, and integrative practices.
Harrell’s dissertation, “Beyond the Medicine: A Narrative Autoethnographic Exploration of How Faith Supported Healing After a Near-Death Medical Crisis in an African American Female Veteran,” reflects both rigorous scholarship and intimate lived experience. Through this research, she examines how trauma, spirituality, resilience, identity, and healing intersect after a life-altering illness, giving language to stories many people carry in silence.
Today, Harrell is a board-certified psychotherapist, TEDx speaker, veteran, transformational coach, and founder of Blissful Life Consulting and the Align Success Academy. In each of these roles, she supports individuals in moving beyond survival, helping them reconnect with themselves through healing, alignment, and purpose-driven living.
As a committed member of the UMSSW Alumni Board of Directors, Harrell brings both her professional expertise and lived experience back to the school in deeply intentional ways. She is an active participant in board initiatives, offering thoughtful insight on program development, student support, and the school’s broader impact in the community. Her perspective as a clinician, veteran, and transformational coach makes her a valuable asset in shaping conversations about trauma-informed practice, wellness, and leadership for current and future social work professionals. Through her ongoing engagement with students, faculty, and fellow alumni, Harrell models what it means to give back, helping to strengthen the school’s future and expand opportunities for the next generation of social workers.
From the hospital bed to the TEDx stage, Harrell’s journey is a powerful reminder that healing is not about becoming someone entirely new, but about returning to who you truly are. Through her work and witness, she hopes others will recognize that their current season is not their final destination — and that sometimes, the very experiences that break us open can be the ones that lead us to our deepest purpose.
To learn more about Harrell’s journey and upcoming projects, visit her website at malaysiaharrell.com.