About Sport and Performance Psychology at UK

The goal of UK Sport and Performance Psychology is, quite simply, to help each student-athlete perform at his/her best, whether it be in the classroom, in competition, or in life beyond UK. As opposed to traditional therapy, sport and performance psychology is application-based mental skills training, focused on helping Wildcats consistently reach optimal performance. While most sessions will take the form of face-to-face meetings or workshops, athletes can also benefit from shorter discussions and check-ins, brief chats during practice, or tele-conferencing. Sessions are solution-focused and tailored to the specific needs of each individual athlete or team; sessions and workshops do not have a blue print or script and can take on various shapes and forms.

As competitors, athletes can learn, practice, and apply specific mental skills in real-time. But often, these skills need to be evaluated and monitored prior to implementation. Topics and skills that can fall into a personalized training plan may include:

• Accepting and establishing roles
• Becoming a better teammate
• Building mental toughness
• Cohesion and team building
• Controlling the controllables
• Developing a team identity
• Focused concentration
• Imagery and visualization
• Improving the coach-athlete relationship
• Letting go of mistakes
• Managing expectations
• Mindfulness/being in the present moment
• Overcoming or preventing slumps
• Self-talk and self-worth
• Setting and achieving goals
• Recovering from injuries
• Etc.

Services Provided

Individual Meetings – Confidential one-on-one meetings with student-athletes, individually tailored to enhancing performance or managing stressors.

Coach Consultations – Meetings and brain storming sessions with coaches to address areas of excellence or concern (e.g., team dynamics, integration of mental skills, leadership, team identity, etc.).

Team Meetings – Workshops, presentations, book clubs, or discussions centered on increasing overall performance from a team standpoint.

Biofeedback/Heart Rate Variability – Access to HeartMath’s EmWave Pro technology to improve focus, coherence, self-awareness, and thought recognition. This program allows for students to receive direct feedback of their breathing, heart rate, and coherence, which are indicators of stress, frustration, and anxiety.

Referrals for Mental and Behavioral Health – Education and awareness of the various mental health services across campus to ensure that student-athletes’ needs are being met.

Marc Cormier, Ph.D, CMPC, LPCA

The University of Kentucky Athletics Department’s Counseling and Sport Psychology program is directed by Dr. Marc Cormier. Dr. Cormier joined the University of Kentucky in 2014 as a faculty member in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion, where he retains a partial appointment as an Assistant Professor and Director of the Sport and Exercise Psychology Graduate Program. Over the past decade, Dr. Cormier has had the opportunity to work alongside athletes and coaches from various sports and competitive levels, ranging from local developmental/high school leagues to Olympic and professional champions.

Dr. Cormier’s philosophy as a sport and performance psychology consultant is grounded in the belief that all athletes are capable of making meaningful changes in the pursuit of personal success. In addition, he firmly believes that athletes learn and develop more effectively as active rather than passive participants in the consulting process. Thus, his role as the consultant is to guide athletes in the development of specific skills that allow them to succeed, be it personally, academically, or athletically. In this light, he believes it is critical to take a holistic approach and consider the involvement of various life factors when developing a sport psychology intervention. The importance here is to understand the person within the environment, rather than either of these individually. Having been exposed to different modalities of sport psychology (teaching, research, and practice), his applied work is a product of lifelong learning and development that takes place through consistent and critical evaluations of his own practice, discussion with colleagues, as well as feedback from clients.

Prior to his arrival to UK, Dr. Cormier pursued an undergraduate degree in psychology before completing his Master’s degree in Sport Psychology from McGill University. In 2013-2014, he completed his second Master’s degree in Counseling and his Ph.D. in Sport and Exercise Psychology from West Virginia University under the tutelage of some of the most respected sport and exercise psychology professionals in the country. Dr. Cormier is also a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) with the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, a member of the United States Olympic Committee’s Sport Psychology and Mental Training Registry, and a Licensed Professional Counselor in Kentucky.

A native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, Dr. Cormier is every bit the stereotypical Canadian. He enjoys cold weather, a good cup of Tim Horton’s coffee, maple syrup, being friendly, and hockey. He continues to enjoy recreational and semi-competitive sports such as hockey, cycling, golf, running, and recently started competing in triathlons. Outside of UK, he loves spending time with the women in his life: his wife and two young daughters.

Location

The Sport and Performance Psychology office is located in the E.J. Nutter Training Facility at 720 Sports Center Drive. Dr. Cormier’s office is room 165 on the first floor.

Organizational Resources

Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) – Incorporated in 1986, the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) promotes the development of science and ethical practice in the field of sport psychology. AASP is an international, multidisciplinary, professional organization that offers certification to qualified professionals in the field of sport, exercise, and health psychology.

On-Campus Resources

• UK Counseling Center provides individualized counseling services for all UK students and is located at 106 Frazee Hall. Please follow the link or call 859-257-8701.
• Suicide Prevention Hotline – If you or a friend has a mental health emergency, please notify your team’s Athletic Trainer, Strength Coach, Sport Psychology Professional, or any coach. If they are unavailable, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
• Community of Concern (CoC) helps connect you or an individual you are worried about to helpful resources during difficult/stressful periods (e.g., substance concerns, non-life-threatening distress, etc.). You can contact them at 859-257-3755 during regular business hours, or via their website for after hours: http://www.uky.edu/concern/.
• Violence Intervention Prevention Center/Bias Incidence Response Services (VIP) was established to sustain a culture of accountability, and to eliminate violence and oppression at UK. If you are experiencing bias, identify-base violence, or interpersonal violence (including sexual assault, stalking, partner violence, rape), the VIP Center creates a safe space for you to seek help.