Victor Counted, PhD
Dr Victor Counted is a social scientist, applied psychologist, researcher, author, and entrepreneur. He consults for COSO Group and is the Senior Policy Advisor for The Udoka Foundation; he is also research fellow of the School of Psychology at Western Sydney University. As an interdisciplinary voice, Dr. Counted fuses psychology, religion, and health to solve pressing contemporary issues such as radicalization, mental health, attachment psychopathology, pandemic-related resource loss, religious/spiritual struggles, migration, and human-environment interactions. His scholarly work addresses various aspects of psychosocial, psychospiritual, and environmental processes that shape health, well-being, and human flourishing. Dr. Counted has doctorates in psychology (Ph.D., Western Sydney University) and religious studies (Ph.D., University of Groningen).
Key areas: minority health, migrant quality of life, suffering, mental health, human flourishing, psychological well-being, social relationships, spiritual well-being, environmental health;
Key research topics: place attachment, religious/spiritual attachment, attachment with adult caregivers, attachment psychopathology, attachment & radicalization;
Key interests: religious coping, spiritual struggles, religion & wellbeing, religion & place, spiritual care, God representations, relational spirituality, attachment-religion framework, African diaspora religion, religion & migration, religious psychopathology;
Expertise: sense of place, community belonging, place attitudes, place attachment, sacred places, pro-environmental behaviors;
Interests: migration & health, religion & migration, migrant social integration, sense of belonging, African diaspora, acculturation strategies
Research topics: coping, self-transcendence, authenticity, resilience, hope, well-being, meaning-making, character strengths.
v.counted[at]westernsydney.edu.au
connect[at]victorcounted.org
In The Roots of Radicalization: Disrupted Attachment Systems and Displacement, Victor Counted examines the expressions of attachment-related radicalization. Counted argues that radicalization is rooted in experiences of disrupted attachment in religion, places, or with people who are perceived as sources of security.
Research and practices promoting health, well-being, and human connection
Research in Media
- PSYCHOLOGY TODAY! — Sustaining Well-being in the Absence of HopeOpens in a new tab
- THE CONVERSATION — Migrants and the bond with God: attachment and survival are linkedOpens in a new tab
- THE CONVERSATION — Hope and religion in a time of crisis: evidence from Colombia and South AfricaOpens in a new tab
- PSYCHOLOGY TODAY! — Can religious coping help bushfire survivors?Opens in a new tab
- PSYCHOLOGY TODAY! — The Security of Place and ResilienceOpens in a new tab
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Sustaining Well-being in the Absence of HopeMarch 25, 2021/0 Comments -
Well-being in Vulnerable Contexts During the COVID-19 PandemicJanuary 9, 2021/ -
