Download Our Infographic: Building a Well-Being Program

Vanessa Downing, PhD

Vanessa Downing, PhD, has been a peer coach with VITAL WorkLife since 2021. She is a licensed psychologist and executive coach. She received her doctoral degree in counseling psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park. Dr. Downing is the founder of Congruence Coaching & Consultation where she coaches individual clinicians, teams and leaders on well being, practice satisfaction, goal fulfillment and workplace culture. Dr. Downing started her career as a cardiovascular psychologist working at the bedside of patients facing life-altering diagnoses. Her experiences on multidisciplinary teams included navigating intense system demands while fighting for the lives of patients. Her role as Director of the ChristianaCare Center for WorkLife Wellbeing emphasized advocacy for frontline workers, leadership development, and empowerment of individuals to influence culture change in meaningful and lasting ways. Heading a team of psychologists and researchers, Vanessa became a national thought leader, providing mentorship, education and consultation to healthcare systems across the country as they established nascent programs. She has contributed to several well-known publications including the AMA’s Steps Forward, The Ochsner Journal, the Physician Leadership Journal and given keynote address on topics such as “Reentering the Workplace During Covid-19” and “Creating Thriving Teams During Difficult Times”.