In this episode, Dr. Gerry Crete speaks with licensed psychologist, executive coach, and workplace flourishing expert Dr. Karen Doll about what human flourishing really means in everyday life and at work. The conversation also explores how faith, meaning, and psychological care can coexist with pain, grief, and trauma without minimizing either one. They discuss workplace well-being, the difference between surviving and flourishing, and how post-traumatic growth can emerge without pretending suffering is good.

Dr. Doll serves as Board Chair of the Elijah Institute and teaches in its Catholic Christian Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy (CC-SIP) certificate program.

A note for listeners: part of this conversation reflects on a recent act of violence that took place in a church, and on the grief of the families affected.

Key Topics

• Dr. Doll's work as a psychologist focused on assessments, coaching, executive development, and workplace mental health
• Why she approaches people as whole persons rather than separating "work self" and "home self"
• How flourishing moved from a long-standing interest in humanistic psychology to a core theme in her work
• The role of the Harvard Flourishing Program and the Flourishing at Work Network in applying research to organizations
• Why spirituality matters as one of the domains of flourishing, especially when understood broadly as connection to something beyond oneself
• What makes a workplace regenerative rather than extractive
• The practical ingredients of flourishing at work:
  • manageable workload and capacity
  • respect and dignity
  • healthy relationships
  • belonging
  • mattering
• Why ROI language often dominates workplace conversations about well-being
• How post-traumatic growth differs from pretending trauma is good
• Why flourishing does not mean constant happiness or the absence of pain
• A continuum model of well-being, from flourishing to crisis, and why people can move fluidly along it
• Matching the intervention to the moment — why a practice that helps on an ordinary day may not fit acute distress
• How a Catholic understanding of redemptive suffering adds meaning that symptom reduction alone cannot
• Why Dr. Doll wrote her book for people who may never see a therapist or hire a coach

Featured Book

Building Psychological Fitness: How High Performers Achieve with Ease by Dr. Karen Doll — a practical, science-based guide to interventions that support mental health, flourishing, and resilience.

https://www.amazon.com/Building-Psychological-Fitness-professionals-organizations-ebook/dp/B09GJ6MSVF

Elijah Institute

Post Traumatic Growth with Dr. Gerry Crete is presented by the Elijah Institute. Learn more about the Catholic Christian Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy (CC-SIP) certificate program — continuing education in spiritually integrated whole person care — at elijah-institute.org. The Elijah Institute has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7719.

This podcast provides education, not treatment. It does not replace therapy, diagnosis or professional care. If you are in crisis:

• Call 988, Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
• For an immediate emergency call 911
• Go to the emergency room
• Contact your provider
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