By TIUA Media Team-Trinity International University of Ambassadors
Some women earn degrees.
Some women change lives.
And then there are women like Dr. Tina Michelle Baker, who use their personal experiences, faith, and scholarship to create pathways of healing for others.
In 2026, Dr. Baker completed her Doctor of Philosophy in Transformational Faith-Based Healing and Counseling through Trinity International University of Ambassadors with a groundbreaking dissertation entitled, From Wounds to Worship: The Role of Faith in Healing Trauma Survivors. Her research explores one of the most important questions facing individuals who have experienced trauma:
How do we move from brokenness to wholeness?
For Dr. Baker, the answer extends far beyond traditional approaches to healing. Her work challenges the notion that recovery is simply about managing symptoms. Instead, she argues that true healing occurs when individuals reclaim and reconstruct their identity through faith, meaning, and worship.
“Trauma does not simply affect what we feel—it affects who we believe we are,” explains Dr. Baker through her research.
Her dissertation explores how traumatic experiences often leave survivors carrying internal narratives of shame, fear, rejection, unworthiness, and hopelessness. These narratives can shape self-perception long after the traumatic event has passed. Through an interdisciplinary approach that combines psychology, theology, and faith-based healing principles, Dr. Baker presents a transformational framework that helps survivors rebuild their identity and rediscover purpose.
What makes her work particularly powerful is its focus on worship as a healing practice.
Rather than viewing worship solely as a religious activity, Dr. Baker presents it as an embodied experience that supports emotional regulation, spiritual growth, identity restoration, and long-term resilience. Through prayer, worship, scripture, faith communities, and spiritual disciplines, individuals can begin the journey of moving from trauma-defined identities to faith-defined identities.
Her research also highlights the importance of community support. Through interviews with trauma survivors, Dr. Baker discovered recurring themes of resilience, hope, spiritual growth, and transformation. Participants consistently identified faith, prayer, worship, counseling, and supportive faith communities as significant contributors to their healing journeys.
Beyond academia, Dr. Baker’s work reflects a heart for ministry and service. Her passion is not simply to understand trauma but to help individuals discover that their wounds do not define them. Instead, she encourages survivors to embrace healing, purpose, and renewed identity.
Her dissertation introduces what she calls the Trauma–Identity–Faith–Worship Framework, a model that demonstrates how faith can become a catalyst for restoration and post-traumatic growth. This framework offers practical applications for counselors, pastors, ministry leaders, and faith-based organizations seeking holistic approaches to healing.
As women across the nation continue to navigate challenges, setbacks, loss, and adversity, Dr. Tina Michelle Baker’s message is both timely and inspiring:
Healing is possible.
Transformation is possible.
And through faith, even our deepest wounds can become a testimony of God’s power, grace, and restoration.
Today, Women’s Journey Magazine proudly celebrates Dr. Tina Michelle Baker for her scholarly excellence, her commitment to faith-based healing, and her dedication to helping others move from wounded identities to lives filled with hope, purpose, and worship.
About Dr. Tina Michelle Baker
Dr. Tina Michelle Baker is a faith-based leader, scholar, and advocate for transformational healing. She earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Transformational Faith-Based Healing and Counseling from Trinity International University of Ambassadors and is committed to empowering individuals to experience emotional, spiritual, and personal restoration through faith-centered principles.
