Two ways to work with us
What We Do
Research
We conduct and direct funded scientific research on religion, spirituality, health, and human flourishing—currently with partners at Duke, the University of Connecticut, and institutions across the United States and abroad.
Consulting
We advise universities, health systems, digital platforms, foundations, and faith-based organizations on program design, evaluation, and research strategy.
Resources
We build practitioner tools and open-access materials that carry findings to clinicians, faith leaders, educators, and the people they serve.
Clinical Care
We provide psychological assessment and psychotherapy for adults, and clinical consultation for individuals, families, and organizations.
$9.9 million
in external research funding
42
funded grants
121
publications
2
books with Springer and Cambridge University Press
What We Are Working on Now
Science of Religious and Spiritual Exercises (SoRSE)
How communal worship practices shape and nourish well-being, and what challenges and possibilities exist when these practices are experienced digitally. With Patty Van Cappellen at Duke University. Funded by the Templeton World Charity Foundation.
How spiritual life interacts with the other social forces that determine who gets and stays healthy. With Crystal Park at the University of Connecticut. Funded by the John Templeton Foundation.
Building and amplifying the evidence base on which spiritual practices actually nourish people's health and flourishing. Funded by the Templeton World Charity Foundation.
An interdisciplinary project supporting attachment-secure Christian parenting and caregiving. With Sarah Ann Bixler and Almeda Wright at Eastern Mennonite University. Funded by the Lilly Endowment.
Four active projects, each asking a different piece of the same question.
Led by Dr. Ward Davis
I spent 16 years as a professor of psychology, most recently at Wheaton College, where I directed the doctoral clinical training program and chaired 36 dissertations. I founded the Cascade Center to bring the halves of that work together in one place: research that reaches the people it can benefit and care that is informed by evidence and not just intuition.
