Dr Victor Counted
Statement of Purpose
I help people and communities flourish by preserving what is good, healing what is broken, and igniting what helps life thrive for the common good. Through research, teaching, writing, and public engagement, I work to equip others with the insight and courage to pursue wholeness in themselves and in the world. I believe every person carries the potential for salt (character that sustains) and light (competence that inspires). My calling is to help that potential take root and bear fruit so that lives, communities, and nations can flourish together.
Dr. Victor Counted
Across nearly two decades, I've built a versatile career at the intersection of research leadership, higher education administration, global scholarship, and applied psychological science.
I work to advance human flourishing across disciplines, cultures, and institutions — integrating scientific rigor with strategic leadership and a commitment to student character formation and cross-sector collaboration.
Whether leading research programs or mentoring emerging scholars, I bring a future-oriented perspective grounded in both scholarship and service.
Statement of Identity
These days, introductions come with instructions. State your name. Where are you from. List your pronouns. Declare yourself before the world decides for you.
And sure — of course, I’m a man. Igbo. He/him, if that’s the question.
But if you really want to know who I am, it goes deeper than biology, ethnicity, or grammar.
When the world asks for my pronouns, I offer my calling. I say: salt/light.
Not to be clever nor to provoke anyone. But because Jesus once looked ordinary people in the eye and said:
“You are the salt of the earth.” “You are the light of the world.”
That’s a statement of identity. It’s not a suggestion.
As Salt, I’m here to preserve what’s good in a world that keeps losing its flavor. To heal what’s broken. To stay grounded when everything’s shifting.
As Light, I want to live with clarity and colour. To make hidden mysteries visible in their brightest expression. To bring warmth, not heat. Vision, not spectacle. My temperature or intensity as light is regulated by my character.
I’m not interested in labels that shrink me to my ego. I’m not looking for applause for knowing myself. I’m chasing a life that forgets itself in love.
So yes, I’ll fill out the form. I’ll respect the space. But when it’s my turn to speak or I find the time to write, I’ll reach for something better than categories.
Salt/Light. That’s my pronoun. That’s my identity. That’s my quiet rebellion, so others might find their way toward flourishing.
Our Family Gallery
Capturing the moments that matter most
Program of research
The Science of Human Flourishing
Studying psychological processes to understand health & well-being at a global scale.
The four-stage model
Foundational systems
System shocks, crises
Resilience, hope
Human Flourishing
Dr Counted's framework for understanding flourishing
The Psychology of Human Flourishing
Flourishing is not a state we arrive at. It is a process — one that can bend toward integration or fracture toward despair, depending on how disruption is met.
Human flourishing unfolds through interacting systems of relationship, spiritual life, place, and the body. These are the mechanisms that form persons and communities over time.
That life is not stable by default. When attachments to people, place, or the sacred fracture, or when bodies remain under chronic strain, it begins to drift.
The Unmooring Effect The pattern of breakdown that follows when attachment to people, place, or the sacred gives way.
People do not meet disruption passively. Some responses restore connection and meaning — they reattach and repair. Others protect at the cost of distortion or withdrawal. Which path a life takes from here shapes everything downstream.
Over time, this branching yields outcomes we can observe and measure: integration, resilience, and hope on one side; fragmentation, despair, and extremism on the other. To understand flourishing, we have to study the whole process and not only where it ends.
Adaptive responses reconnect a life to what disrupted it. Protective responses guard against further harm — often at the cost of further distance.
Profile
Victor Counted, Ph.D., is a psychological scientist and a leading global authority on the intersections of health, religion, and human flourishing. He serves as Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at Regent University, where he leads the Abundant Life Flourishing Lab. His reach extends to the world’s most elite research circles as a Faculty Affiliate of the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University and a Researcher for the Global Flourishing Study, a landmark multi-country initiative..
Dr. Counted’s scholarly influence is cemented by his roles as Associate Editor of the Journal of Positive Psychology and Series Editor for Springer’s Religion, Spirituality, and Health. With two doctorates—one in Health Psychology (Western Sydney University) and another in the Psychology of Religion (University of Groningen)—he brings a rare, interdisciplinary rigor to his work. He has authored six books and over 100 peer-reviewed articles, focusing on the psychological process that shape health and well-being across cultures, including mechanisms and cultural disruptors that shape well-being.
A Fellow of the International Society for Science and Religion, Dr. Counted sits on the executive boards of major scholarly bodies, including APA Division 36, and provides expert consultation across academia, public policy, and the organizational sector. He resides in Virginia with his wife, Jessie, and their two sons.
Early Life & Education
From my earliest days, I was drawn to questions about meaning, identity, and community. My academic journey began with studies in theology, philosophy, and social sciences, eventually earning doctorates in health psychology (Western Sydney University) and the psychology of religion (University of Groningen).
Global Research & Teaching
My research on human flourishing has taken me across continents, leading programs like the Abundant Life Flourishing Lab at Regent University and serving as Faculty Affiliate at the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard.
Family & Home
At the heart of my journey is my family — my wife Jessie and our two sons, Victor and Zuphland. They are my constant source of joy and inspiration.
Books & Achievements
Author of six books and over 90 peer-reviewed publications, I continue to explore how the daily psychological processes of life shape health and well-being across cultures.
Moments that shaped the journey
Family, students, colleagues, and the work in between.
Current Leadership & Affiliations
Director, Office of Research & Sponsored Programs
Regent University (2023–Present)
Leads the strategic development of the university’s research enterprise, overseeing grants and compliance toward R2 classification.
Director, Abundant Life Flourishing Lab
Regent University (2023–Present)
Directs research and translation initiatives on human flourishing science from a Christian perspective, fostering interdisciplinary projects.
Associate Professor of Psychology
Regent University (2022–Present)
Engages in doctoral teaching and mentorship, focusing on flourishing across religion, culture, and psychology.
Faculty Affiliate, The Human Flourishing Program
Harvard University (2021–Present)
Collaborating on global research initiatives exploring virtue development, mental health, and flourishing metrics.
Co-Founder, Counted Solutions LLC
Leading consulting and training programs that advance organizational health and applied psychological science globally. We own several education brands, e.g., Count 123 Early School, Countlife Academy, etc.
Chair, Africa Flourishing Initiative
Building research capacity in Africa through strategic partnerships and indigenous knowledge frameworks.
Professional Journey
Psychological Scientist & Director, COSORI Australia
Led interdisciplinary research programs focused on community well-being and translational research efforts.
Research Fellow & Lecturer, Western Sydney University
Taught research methods, psychology, social sciences, and public health courses, and led externally funded studies focused on migrant health and quality of life.
PhD Research Fellow, University of Groningen, Netherlands
Advanced research methodology and cross-cultural analysis focused on migration, religion, and place.
Project Leader, Third Millennium Africa Project, South Africa
Led international development programs focused on promoting change makers, virtue education and cross-cultural leadership.
Executive Secretary, Spiritual Formation Dept., WATS Seminary, Nigeria
Directed faculty development and spiritual programming at West Africa's leading theological seminary.
Global South Reporter and Writer, In My Street, Germany
Interviewed NGO executives and curated media content on leading non-for-profit organizations from the Global South making a difference in the world.
