Turning Trauma into Hope: Counseling graduate perseveres through extreme grief, cancer to earn doctorate

Liberty University celebrated its largest graduating class in history during its 52nd Commencement, conferring over 30,000 degrees. The Class of 2025 came from diverse backgrounds and life experiences, each carrying unique challenges while pursuing their degrees.

Among them was Dr. Carol Bradley, 60, who earned her Doctor of Education (EdD) in Community Care and Counseling through Liberty University Online Programs from her home in Sutton, Mass. Her journey to the graduation stage in Lynchburg was marked by both difficult trials and extraordinary resilience. During her dissertation work, she endured the loss of both her parents, underwent multiple surgeries for pre-uterine cancer, and was diagnosed with breast cancer.

President of Liberty University Dr. Dondi E. Costin recognized Bradley during the Main Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 9, at Williams Stadium.

“Dr. Carol Bradley, one of your classmates, knows all about giants,” Costin said to a packed stadium. “While working on her dissertation, she lost both of her parents and battled cancer herself, enduring multiple operations and treatments along the way. … Dr Bradley is here today, living proof of what can happen when we stand in faith regardless of our circumstances.”

Despite multiple treatments, Bradley remained steadfast in her mission to earn her doctorate and use her degree to help others struggling with addiction, PTSD, depression, and other critical mental health issues. Her doctorate is the culmination of 14 years of academic pursuit at Liberty, as she earned her bachelor’s in psychology and master’s in crisis response and trauma through the online program.

“I felt it was really important to have a faith-based education,” Bradley said. “When I decided to go back to school 14 years ago, I wanted to have not only a faith-based community but also the integration of Christianity in my education. That was very important to me, and that’s why I chose Liberty University.”

Bradley’s desire to help people recover from trauma stems from her own experiences with loss and heartache and the anxiety that commonly follows. Her father battled PTSD after his tenure as a fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force, leaving Bradley’s mother to juggle multiple jobs to support a large family following a separation.

Bradley owns and operates Life Hope Counseling a Christian practice located in her home town, which offers therapy for mental health conditions, addiction and recovery, grief, stress management, physical abuse, and PTSD. She sees patients in office and remotely.

“I strongly believe that we are all here for a reason,” she said. “No matter how much money we make, what car we drive, or what we do in our everyday lives, we have to help each other first and foremost — to take our gifts and use them to help others.”

She wrote her dissertation on the integration of Christianity into long-term sustained recovery from trauma-related addiction.

“I wanted to focus more on the trauma, because we all go through some kind of trauma, and there are so many things that happen because of it like disfunction and addiction,” she said. “I wanted to help people with their trauma, and I didn’t want to wallow in my own trauma. I wanted to turn it into something that could really help others.”

Bradley said Liberty’s online program allowed her to study at her own pace while battling health issues, including six surgeries and radiation. She said the flexibility of Liberty’s online program, partnered with the spiritual support from her dissertation directors, inspired her to complete her doctorate strong.

“Liberty and my faith gave me the confidence to finish,” said Bradley, who thanked Dr. David Jenkins, clinical director of the doctoral program, and Dr. John King, her dissertation chair. “I really love those guys. They supported me so beautifully. They helped me feel normal — not feeling like I was sick. They gave me hope.”

She said her teachers and classmates were extremely supportive, and she appreciated phone calls from Liberty asking if she needed prayers.

“I don’t know any other school that will call you to pray,” she said. “That’s what helped me to grow — to have this support from all these people. This support meant the world to me and helped me in my battle with cancer. I am very thankful for Liberty University.”

Bradley has three sons: Christian, Colin, and Cameron. Bradley’s positive experiences with Liberty caught the attention of her son, Cameron, also a member of the Class of 2025. He earned a bachelor’s in interdisciplinary studies (INDS).

“It never felt like I was a parent going to see my son at his college; I felt like a parent visiting my son at our college,” said Bradley, who spoke fondly of visiting Liberty for sporting events and campus traditions like Coffeehouse. “Liberty is one of my homes. … I have been blessed with three very hard-working sons. They all have strong determination and a love for people. I’m proud of them for the men that they have become. They are not young boys anymore; they are all leaders.”

Although Bradley’s time as a doctorate student is over, she is confident that the Lord will use her in miraculous ways to help people wrestle and heal from intense mental health conditions. She is currently in remission from her breast cancer and is doing well.

“I truly believe that God has put us here to help others, and I will continue to do His work with strong faith and love,” she said. “Throughout my journey here at Liberty, I have remained steadfast and faithful that the Lord is always by my side and will always be there.”