Douglas LaBier, Ph.D., Director

dlabier@CenterProgressive.org

Douglas LaBier, Ph.D. is a nationally known business psychologist and psychoanalytic psychotherapist.  The founder and Director of the Center for Progressive Development in Washington, DC, his work over the last 30 years has focused on helping individuals and organizations identify and resolve the interwoven mixture of personal, career-related and organizational management conflicts that often undermine psychological health, effective leadership, and a healthy work culture.

Dr. LaBier consults to senior executives and senior management teams on ways to integrate personal and career development with effective leadership practices.  He focuses upon supporting individual growth, development, collaboration and social responsibility within today’s highly interconnected world. This provides the foundation for dealing successfully with such challenges as the business impact of climate change, including the need to bring sustainable, “green” practices into the “DNA” of the organization.  In addition, his consulting work supports the creation of a positive management culture, necessary for evolving towards an emerging new business model; one that combines financial success with serving the common good.  His consultations have included individuals and senior management teams from such diverse organizations as Freddie Mac, Association of American Medical Colleges, the Mortgage Bankers Association, Northrop-Grumman, The World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Kaiser-Permanente, National Wildlife Federation, U.S. Treasury Executive Institute, Conservation International, technology companies, law firms and media corporations.

In his psychotherapy practice, Dr. LaBier helps individuals and couples resolve emotional conflicts that undermine personal life goals, relationships and career development.  His focus includes building the self-awareness, emotional resiliency and overall psychological health essential for external success and internal well-being within today’s turbulent, unpredictable, and globalized environment.  He helps people find ways to create greater integration, sense of purpose and human connection in their lives — the developmental challenges of midlife, from about 35 onward.

Dr. LaBier’s long-standing focus on the psychology of the career culture, emotional development and the interplay between work and mental health grew from the work that led to his highly acclaimed book, Modern Madness.  A pioneering examination of how work and career within organizations affect emotional and values conflict, it was cited by Daniel Goleman in The New York Times as “In the vanguard…offering sobering insights into the costs of modern success.” it explained why personal and career-related conflicts are often caused, paradoxically, by successful adaptation to the roles, pressures, and culture within organizations and careers.

Dr. LaBier publishes regularly in the popular press on career, midlife and related issues, including The Washington Post, The New York Times, Fortune, The Huffington Post, as well as in professional journals and texts. His work has been the subject of frequent coverage by national print and broadcast media, and he has been a frequent guest on TV and radio shows over the years, including the Today show, NBC Nightly News, ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS Morning News, CNN, FOX; NPR, PBS and others.

Currently, Dr. LaBier is working on a book project that redefines what a psychologically healthy, emotionally resilient adult is — in personal life, at the workplace, and in our increasing roles and responsibilities as global citizens within today’s highly interconnected, unpredictable and tumultuous culture.  His speaking engagements and workshops for corporate audiences and other groups include such topics as: integrating career success, personal life goals and internal well-being; building emotional resilience in a turbulent world; dealing with midlife developmental conflicts and challenges; and leadership needs for supporting a sustainable organization.

Dr. LaBier serves as a faculty member of the Washington School of Psychiatry; has been a Fellow of the Research Council of Healthy Companies, a nonprofit organization supported by the MacArthur Foundation; and consults to Lee Hecht Harrison, a career development firm.  He previously served on the staff of the National Institute of Mental Health.