A Father, a Daughter, and the Cost of Chronic Illness

A Father, a Daughter, and the Cost of Chronic Illness

In this episode of Post-Traumatic Growth, Dr. Gerry Crete sits down with theologian and counseling student Dr. Donald Wallenfang and his daughter Ellen. Ellen, now a 25-year-old singer-songwriter, shares her diagnosis with Type 1 diabetes at age 15, her years-long struggle with diabulimia, and the road through residential treatment to healing.  Main Topics: * Ellen's Type 1 diabetes diagnosis and the shame and identity disruption it produced * Diabulimia: how insulin manipulation became a form of disordered eating * The moment Ellen chose to seek treatment—and what made that possible * How chronic illness strained the father-daughter relationship and what family therapy revealed * Integrating faith and professional mental health care without collapsing one into the other Chapters: * 00:00: Welcome and Introduction * 02:26: Ellen's Story: Diagnosis and Identity * 08:46: Diabulimia and Insulin Manipulation * 11:10: Hitting Rock Bottom and Seeking Help * 15:40: Faith as an Undercurrent of Peace * 17:56: Advice for Young People Struggling * 19:27: What Treatment Actually Looked Like * 26:05: A Father's Perspective * 30:48: Resentment, Resistance, and Family Therapy * 44:34: What Therapists and Parents Should Know Resources Mentioned: * The Elijah Institute: https://elijah-institute.org/ [https://elijah-institute.org/] * 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: https://988lifeline.org/ [https://988lifeline.org/] * National Alliance for Eating Disorders: https://www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/ [https://www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/] Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios: https://saintkolbestudios.com/ [https://saintkolbestudios.com/]

The Theology of Listening with Dr. Donald Wallenfang

In this episode of Post-Traumatic Growth, Dr. Gerry Crete sits down with Dr. Donald Wallenfang—Secular Carmelite, theologian, professor at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, and father of six—to explore what the Church owes young people in a post-pandemic world. Drawing on the political theology of Johann Baptist Metz and the Carmelite contemplative tradition, Dr. Wallenfang makes the case that narrative, memory, and solidarity are the foundations of genuine accompaniment. Main Topics: * The post-pandemic mental health crisis among youth and why advice alone is not enough * Dr. Wallenfang's journey from youth ministry to theology to clinical psychology * Johann Baptist Metz's political theology and the concept of "dangerous memories" * How narrative and storytelling connect young people's suffering to Christ's passion * Carmelite contemplative spirituality as a foundation for pastoral and clinical presence Chapters: * 00:00: Welcome and Introduction * 02:11: Adoption, Vocation, and the Path to Theology * 05:27: Youth Ministry and Pastoral Accompaniment * 09:19: Encountering Youth Trauma in Suburbia * 16:26: Trauma, Empathy, and the Limits of the Minister * 19:39: Safety Before Vulnerability * 21:03: Johann Baptist Metz and Dangerous Memories * 24:16: Narrative, Memory, and Dangerous Stories * 31:07: Carmelite Contemplation and Full Presence * 36:25: Advice for Parish Leaders and Youth Ministers Resources Mentioned: * The Elijah Institute: https://elijah-institute.org/ [https://elijah-institute.org/] * Roots: Catholic Youth Evangelization in a Post-Pandemic World: https://www.amazon.com/Roots-Catholic-Evangelization-Post-Pandemic-Perspectives/dp/1666732184 [https://www.amazon.com/Roots-Catholic-Evangelization-Post-Pandemic-Perspectives/dp/1666732184] * The Mendicant Philosopher: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMendicantPhilosopher [https://www.youtube.com/@TheMendicantPhilosopher] * Catholic Therapists: https://catholictherapists.com/ [https://catholictherapists.com/] Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios: https://saintkolbestudios.com/ [https://saintkolbestudios.com/]

Finding Christ in Chronic Illness w/ Cameron Fradd

In this episode of Post-Traumatic Growth, Dr. Gerry Crete sits down with Cameron Fradd—host of Among the Lilies podcast and wife of Matt Fradd—to discuss her eight-year journey with chronic illness and the unexpected spiritual and emotional growth it has produced. Cameron shares how suffering has deepened her prayer life, shaped her children's empathy, and drawn her closer to Christ rather than further away. Main Topics: * Cameron's journey with chronic illness and how it reshaped her sense of identity * The invisible nature of chronic illness and the experience of feeling unseen * How suffering deepened rather than damaged her relationship with God * The impact of chronic illness on marriage and motherhood * Integrating faith and healing without using spirituality to bypass pain Chapters: * 00:01: Welcome and Introduction * 00:30: Cameron's Health Journey and Chronic Illness * 02:04: Accepting a New Normal * 04:04: Discovering the Mind-Body Connection * 06:10: A Profound Encounter * 10:56: The Invisible Suffering of Chronic Illness * 12:42: Speaking at SEEK Through the Pain * 16:58: How Suffering Deepened Cameron's Prayer Life * 20:36: The Impact on Marriage and Motherhood * 26:57: Growing in Empathy as a Family * 28:24: Redemptive Suffering and Human Flourishing * 38:49: What Therapists Should Know Resources Mentioned: * Hallow App: https://hallow.com/ [https://hallow.com/] * Among the Lilies podcast with Cameron Fradd: https://www.cameronfradd.com/ [https://www.cameronfradd.com/] * Litanies of the Heart by Dr. Gerry Crete: https://sophiainstitute.com/product/litanies-of-the-heart/ [https://sophiainstitute.com/product/litanies-of-the-heart/] * The Elijah Institute: https://elijah-institute.org/ [https://elijah-institute.org/] Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios: https://saintkolbestudios.com/ [https://saintkolbestudios.com/]

God Doesn't Hate Me After All w/ Greg Willits

In this episode of Post-Traumatic Growth, Dr. Gerry Crete sits down with Greg Willits—author, Catholic media pioneer, and co-founder of Rosary Army—to discuss his journey through complex trauma, PTSD, and the healing he's found through therapy, the sacraments, and the writings of St. Louis de Montfort. Greg shares his story with remarkable vulnerability, tracing how his deepest wounds became the foundation for his most meaningful work. Main Topics: * Greg's experience of complex trauma, PTSD diagnosis, and the road to healing * How sharing your story publicly reduces its power over you * The role of the Sacrament of Reconciliation alongside professional therapy * St. Louis de Montfort's Love of Eternal Wisdom and its connection to trauma healing * Finding meaning and identity beyond earning your value Chapters: * 00:04: Welcome and Introduction * 02:02: Greg's History in Catholic Media * 03:23: The 2017 Workplace Crisis and PTSD Diagnosis * 09:41: Writing God Doesn't Hate Me After All * 17:50: Learning to Forgive Yourself * 20:10: The Confession That Changed Everything * 24:39: St. Louis de Montfort and Trauma Healing * 28:17: Praying Across Time for Your Wounded Self * 34:20: Narrative Therapy and the Hero's Journey * 48:37: The Importance of Catholic-Integrated Therapy * 53:55: Finding Meaning Beyond Earning Your Value Resources Mentioned: * God Doesn't Hate Me After All by Greg Willits: https://sophiainstitute.com/product/god-doesnt-hate-me-after-all/ [https://sophiainstitute.com/product/god-doesnt-hate-me-after-all/] * Rosary Army: https://rosaryarmy.com/ [https://rosaryarmy.com/] * The Love of Eternal Wisdom by St. Louis de Montfort: https://catholicbookpublishing.com/products/the-love-of-eternal-wisdom-red [https://catholicbookpublishing.com/products/the-love-of-eternal-wisdom-red] * The Elijah Institute: https://elijah-institute.org/ [https://elijah-institute.org/] Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios: https://saintkolbestudios.com/ [https://saintkolbestudios.com/]

What If Your Wound Is the Way Forward?

In this inaugural episode of Post-Traumatic Growth, Dr. Gerry Crete—licensed marriage and family therapist and trauma specialist—introduces the podcast and its mission: to walk alongside those who have experienced trauma and discover what it means to grow through it. Dr. Crete shares his own story as a survivor of childhood abuse and unpacks the Christian vision of suffering as a source of meaning, resilience, and transformation. If you've experienced something that shattered your sense of safety, your faith, or your understanding of yourself—this podcast was made for you. Too often, conversations about trauma stop at survival. We're told to cope, to manage, to just get through. But what if there's something beyond getting through? What if the very wounds that brought you to your knees hold the seeds of a deeper, more grounded life than you had before? That's the question at the heart of Post-Traumatic Growth. Drawing on decades of clinical experience and his own journey from crisis to flourishing, Dr. Crete introduces the Arc of Healing—a framework that maps the path from Crisis through Languishing, Surviving, and Thriving toward Flourishing. He also introduces the Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual-Moral model, a whole-person approach to healing that honors the complexity of what it means to be human: body, mind, relationships, soul, and conscience. This isn't a podcast that spiritualizes away your pain or reduces your suffering to a clinical diagnosis. It's a space where evidence-based psychotherapy and the rich tradition of Christian wisdom meet—where the science of trauma and the mystery of redemption are allowed to speak to each other honestly. Whether you're a clinician looking for a deeper framework for your practice, a pastoral leader walking with people in pain, or someone in the middle of your own healing journey, Dr. Crete invites you to begin here. Not with answers, but with the one question that changes everything: What if growth doesn't happen in spite of your suffering—but through it?