Charlotte Witvliet

Biography

Charlotte V. O. Witvliet, Ph.D. serves as a Senior Scholar with the Belmont Formation Collaborative for Initiatives focused on Whole Person Formation, Mental Health and Flourishing. She is also a Professor of Clinical Psychology and Character Formation. 

As she begins her work at Belmont during the 2025-2026 academic year, she is serving as a team member on the Belmont Formation Collaborative, as a collaborating leader for the interprofessional team of colleagues in medical fields participating Belmont's Kern National Network, as a contributor to internal assessment and research-related projects, and as a leader for virtue-related formation groups for students, staff, and faculty. Beyond Belmont, she is active in virtue-related research projects led by colleagues at Baylor University and Hope College, while also serving as a member of the Templeton Religion Trust Steering Committee.  

Charlotte trained as a scientist-practitioner clinical psychologist at Purdue University and the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center affiliated with Duke University. Serving Hope College for 28 years, Charlotte invested in students through psychology coursework, co-directing an internship program, running an emotion and psychophysiology research lab, as well as mentoring students and collaborating with colleagues. She is grateful for awards and endowed professorships, and particularly proud of her students—their integrity and dedication to discovery, 15 Psi Chi Regional Research Awards, many presentations and publications. She conducted research on embodying virtue and mental health with a focus on fostering flourishing especially in facing challenges. Charlotte’s scholarly contributions have illuminated the emotional and physiological side effects people experience when responding to interpersonal offenses, holding grudges and ruminating, cultivating forgiveness, welcoming accountability, generating gratitude, and engaging hope. Charlotte’s publications have appeared in journals such as Psychological Science, The Journal of Positive Psychology, and the Journal of Psychology and Theology. Her work was supported by grants from The John Templeton Foundation, Templeton Religion Trust, and the Fetzer Institute, and she now serves on the Steering Committee of the Templeton Religion Trust. Her research has been featured in media outlets, including Time, Newsweek, O: The Oprah magazine, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, CNN, and Hidden Brain.