Associate Professor of Psychology Victor Counted College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Regent University
Associate Professor of Psychology
Regent University
Sydney, Virginia Beach, United States
Biography
Applied psychologist, practical theologian, and social scientist studying the intersections of psychology, place, religion, and health.
Biography
Dr. Victor Counted is an applied psychologist, practical theologian, and social scientist whose research addresses various aspects of psychosocial, psychospiritual, and environmental processes that shape health, well-being, and human flourishing. As an interdisciplinary voice, Dr. Counted fuses psychology, religion, place, and health to address pressing contemporary issues such as radicalization, mental health, human connection, pandemic-related resource loss, religious/spiritual struggles, migration, and human-environment interactions. His application of attachment theory to place, religion, migration, radicalization, and quality of life has sparked renewed interests in the fields of psychology and religion.
Dr. Counted has a Ph.D. in Health Psychology from Western Sydney University (Australia) and a second Ph.D. in Psychology of Religion from the University of Groningen (The Netherlands). He has lived and conducted research across four continents and still considers himself displaced. His current projects include examining...
- 1) place attachment disruptions in contexts of pandemics, migration, and mental health,
- 2) the intersections of spirituality, place, and health,
- 3) attachment-related radicalization framework and interventions,
- 4) the role of place in human development and flourishing,
- 5) the integration of psychology and the study of religion
Dr. Counted is known for his circle of place spirituality framework and pioneering the psychology of religion and place field. He is an interdisciplinary scholar by training, a psychologist by methodology, a philosopher by passion, and researcher at heart. He has published extensively on the psychology of religion and place, the science of attachment-religion framework, and attachment-related radicalization. He is the author of several books including “Place and Post-Pandemic Flourishing: Disruption, Adjustment, and Healthy Behaviors” (Springer Nature), “The Roots of Radicalization: Disrupted Attachment Systems and Displacement” (Lexington Books), “The Psychology of Religion and Place: Emerging Perspectives” (Palgrave MacMillan), and "Experiencing God in a Foreign Land" (Uni of Groningen). Counted is currently a candidate for the Australian Research Council’s Discovery Early Career Researcher Award.
Honoraria Titles
FISSR
Major Prizes
Religion, Philosophy & History Interests
Christianity-Protestantism, Ethics, Theology
Science & Technology Interests
Medicine & Health, Neuroscience, Psychology
Website
Publications
The Psychology of Religion and Place: Emerging Perspectives
Palgrave MacMillan November, 2019
Editors:Fraser Watts
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-28848-8
The Roots of Radicalization: Disrupted Attachment Systems and Displacement
Lexington Books/Rowman & Littlefield July, 2021
https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781793628084/The-Roots-of-Radicalization-Disrupted-Attachment-Systems-and-Displacement
Place and Post-Pandemic Flourishing: Disruption, Adjustment, and Healthy Behaviors
Springer Nature October, 2021
Co-authors: Richard G. Cowden, Haywantee Ramkissoon
Transcending place attachment disruptions during a public health crisis: Spiritual struggles, resilience, and transformation.
Christian Association for Psychological Studies March, 2021
Co-authors: Neff, M.A., Captari, L., & Cowden, R.G.
Volume:39(4)
Pages:276-286
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/345766796_Transcending_Place_Attachment_Disruptions_During_A_Public_Health_Crisis_Spiritual_Struggles_Resilience_and_Transformation
The influence region of origin, area of residence prior to migration, religion, and perceived discrimination on acculturation strategies among sub-Saharan African migrants in Australia
Springer May, 2021
Co-authors: Renzaho, A., Mansouri, F., Polonsky, M.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12134-021-00829-x
Hope and Well-being in Vulnerable Contexts During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Does religious coping matter?
Taylor & Francis November, 2020
Co-authors: Pargament, K.I., Bachera, A.O., Joynt, S., & Cowden, R.G.
https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2020.1832247
Conventional and unconventional forms of religiosity: identifying predictive factors and wellbeing outcomes.
Taylor & Francis August, 2020
Co-authors: Possamai, A., Jinks, T.,
Volume:10(2)
Pages:155-170
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/20440243.2020.1817249
Attachment to Australia, Attachment to God, and Quality of Life Outcomes in African Christian Diaspora.
Taylor & Francis 2020
Co-authors: Possamai, A., McAuliffe, C., & Meade, T.
Volume:22(1)
Pages:65-95
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19349637.2018.1499165
The Role of Spirituality in Promoting Sense of Place among Foreigners of African Background in the Netherlands.
Mary Ann Liebert Inc 2019
Volume:11(2)
Pages:101-109
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/eco.2018.0070
A Space of Transition and Transaction: A rejoinder to selected commentaries on place spirituality.
SAGE 2019
Co-authors: Fraser Watts
Volume:41(1)
Pages:43-52
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0084672419832673
Place Spirituality: an attachment perspective
SAGE 2019
Co-authors: Hetty Zock
Volume:41(1)
Pages:12-25
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0084672419833448
Sense of Place Attitudes and Quality of Life Outcomes among African Residents in a Multicultural Australian Society.
Wiley 2019
Volume:47(2)
Pages:338-355
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30203846
Migration and socio-demographic factors associated with the sense of place attitudes of sub-Saharan Africans in northern and western Netherlands
Wiley 2019
Co-authors: Moustafa, A.A., & Renzaho, A.
Volume:47(2)
Pages:238-253
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6585797/
African Christian Diaspora Religion and/or spirituality: A concept analysis and re-interpretation.
SAGE 2019
Volume:7(1)
Pages:58-79
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2050303218823258
Domains of Religious Coping Behaviour among African Christians in New South Wales, Australia: An exploratory qualitative study.
Taylor & Francis 2019
Volume:21(3)
Pages:215-236
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19349637.2018.1476948
Defining the psychology of religion and place: a concept analysis
Palgrave/Springer 2019
Co-authors: Fraser Watts
Editors:Victor Counted & Fraser Watts
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-28848-8_16
The Psychology of Place Spirituality: A Cascade of Parallel Processes.
Palgrave/Springer 2019
Editors:Victor Counted & Fraser Watts
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-28848-8_9
An Introduction to the Psychology of Religion and Place
Palgrave/Springer 2019
Co-authors: Fraser Watts
Editors:Victor Counted & Fraser Watts
Pages:1-12
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-28848-8_1
Why and How Environmental and Religious Attachments Matter for Health Promotion.
Palgrave/Springer 2019
Co-authors: Tanya Meade
Editors:Victor Counted & Fraser Watts
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-28848-8_15
Religion, Place, and Attachment: An Evaluation of Conceptual Frameworks
Palgrave/Springer 2019
Pages:33-48
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-28848-8_3
Global avoidant attachment predicts indicators of caregiving faith in Australian-based African Christians in New South Wales.
Equinox Publishing 2018
Volume:30(1)
Pages:55-74
https://journals.equinoxpub.com/index.php/JASR/article/view/36551
Relational Spirituality and Quality of Life 2007 to 2017: An integrative research review.
BioMed Central (BMC) 2018
Co-authors: Possamai, A., & Meade, T.
Volume:16
https://hqlo.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12955-018-0895-x
The Circle of Place Spirituality: Toward a motivational systems theory in the psychology of religion
Brill 2018
Volume:29
Pages:149-178
https://brill.com/view/book/edcoll/9789004382640/BP000017.xml
Pastoral Juxtaposition in Spiritual Care: Toward a caregiving faith theology in an evangelical Christian context.
AOSIS 2018
Co-authors: Joseph Robert Miller
Volume:74(2)
Pages:a4630
https://hts.org.za/index.php/HTS/article/view/4630
Place Attachment in the Bible: The role of attachment to sacred places in religious life.
SAGE 2017
Co-authors: Fraser Watts
Volume:45(3)
Pages:218-232
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/009164711704500305
Attachment Theory and Religious Violence: Theorizing Adult Religious Psychopathology.
AJOL 2017
Volume:30(1)
Pages:78-109
http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1011-76012017000100005
Between God and Self: Exploring the attachment to God and authenticity/inauthenticity tendencies of South African Christian youths.
Taylor & Francis 2017
Co-authors: Ahmed Moustafa
Volume:20(2)
Pages:109-127
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13674676.2017.1326476
The Psychology of Youth Faith Formation: A Care-giving Faith?
Brill 2016
Volume:15(2)
Pages:146-172
https://brill.com/view/journals/jyt/15/2/article-p146_4.xml
Making Sense of Place Attachment: Towards a Holistic Understanding of People-place Relationships and Experiences.
University of Minnesota Press 2016
Volume:8(1)
Pages:7-32
https://www.pdcnet.org/esplace/content/esplace_2016_0008_0001_0007_0032
Missionising Youth Identity Crisis: Towards a missional hermeneutic of care in youth ministry practice.
The Southern African Missiological Society (SAMS) 2016
Volume:41(1)
Pages:82-102
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305756407_Missionising_Youth_Identity_Crisis_Towards_a_missional_hermeneutic_of_care_in_youth_ministry_practice
Being Authentic is the New Image: A study of authenticity and selfhood among south African Christian millennials.
Taylor & Francis 2016
Volume:19(3)
Pages:263-294
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13674676.2016.1168388
God as an Attachment Figure: A Case Study of the God Attachment Language and God Concepts of Anxiously Attached Christian Youths in South Africa
Taylor & Francis 2016
Volume:18(4)
Pages:316-346
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19349637.2016.1176757
