SLU Sport Psychology Services provides sport performance optimization for individual athletes and teams at Saint Louis University's Department of Athletics and to athletes and teams across the St. Louis region.
A successful sports program is reflected by athletes, coaches, and teams performing at their highest potential. The SLU Sport Psychology team provides evidence-based sport psychological services to individual athletes and teams to achieve optimal performance in their sport. Our team is comprised of doctoral students in clinical psychology with an emphasis on sport psychology who serve as Sport Psychology Consultants (SPCs) and are provided to athletes and teams from all sports within the greater St. Louis region. The primary focus of the SPCs is to understand and improve the mental aspects of an athlete's and a team’s performance by enhancing mental toughness, optimizing arousal and emotional regulation, improving concentration and attention, sustaining motivation, assisting with injury rehabilitation, and managing sport related stressors. Professor of Psychology Michael J. Ross, Ph.D., serves as the director of SLU Sport Psychology Services and provides supervision of all sport psychology consultants.
Services are provided to athletes aged 16 and up.
Individual Services
Individual services involve one-on-one meetings between an athlete and a sport psychology consultant (SPC). The length of time in sport psychological training can vary and largely depends on the athlete’s goals. The Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC) protocol consists of approximately seven sessions of broad mental-skills training and is typically used for most athletes seeking to improve their mental performance in sport. However, athletes may choose to schedule one to two sessions that focus on specific skill development (e.g., confidence, relaxation, developing a mental warm-up). Student-athletes seek these services with a variety of goals and/or areas of development in mind. Some may simply want to increase their mental toughness during sport, decrease the effect of negative self-talk, and improve their ability to reach a flow state (“Get into the Zone”). Other athletes may be experiencing barriers to performance such as anxiety, difficulties adjusting to a new team, a lack of confidence, concerns regarding motivation, or difficulties related to injury. These services are available to all SLU student-athletes.
Biofeedback Training
Biofeedback is a technique incorporated into the individual training. During biofeedback, athletes learn how to maintain control over physiological processes that enhance the likelihood of achieving a flow state. SPCs will introduce and train a variety of mental skills that help regulate these processes.
Team Services
SPCs are often requested to work with teams in a variety of capacities. Options for this training include one-day workshops, multisession team trainings, and team assessments. Team workshops typically focus on 1-2 skills or topics, while multisession team trainings include the introduction and application of a variety of mental skills. Team assessments are often requested by the coaching staff and include the evaluation of a variety of mental aspects using questionnaires and biofeedback techniques. Following a team assessment, coaches are provided with team and individual data and recommendations. Recommendations strive to enhance the mental aspects of the team during practice and games to enhance athletic performance. Additionally, individual athletes receive their own data and recommendations for mental performance skills training.
Specialty Groups
The Sport Psychology team also provides specialty services to student-athletes experiencing unique stressors or transitions. Examples include injured athletes (e.g., increasing coping and rehabilitation adherence), freshmen athletes (e.g., supporting the transition to a new team, coach, and/or role), and senior athletes (e.g., helping with the transition out of sport). These services often occur in a workshop format and are requested on an as-needed basis by the athletic department staff and/or student-athletes.
Meet the Team
Director Michael J. Ross, Ph.D.
Michael J. Ross, Ph.D., ABPP, has been a professor of psychology at Saint Louis University for over three decades. Ross, along with his former graduate student, Joanne Perry, Ph.D., founded the Saint Louis University Sport Psychological Sciences and Consultation Lab in 2015. He is a board-certified clinical psychologist, fellow of the Academy of Clinical Psychology, and member of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. He has served as the university’s NCAA Faculty Athletic Representative since 1990 and provides consultant and oversight of academic integrity, NCAA rules compliance, and student-athlete welfare for SLU Billiken Athletics. Ross’ areas of research and scholarship include flow state, biofeedback and heart rate variability, adjustment to athletic injury, coping, athletic values, motivation, and mental health. His scholarly works include over fifty peer reviewed publications and over one hundred professional conference presentations. Ross enjoys spending time with his family, friends, and students, and enjoys all of SLU’s Billiken sport teams, coaches, and student-athletes.
Associate Director Bella Fiorenzo, M.S.
Isabella Fiorenzo, M.S., is a third-year student in the Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology program at SLU. She received her B.S. in biology and B.A. in psychology at the University of Mississippi, where she also competed on the women’s soccer team. Her research interests include examining the psychological impact of injury in athletes and understanding the implications of interruptions in sport on well-being. In her free time, she enjoys watching a number of sports, especially soccer, and spending time outside with friends.
Assistant Director Becca Steins, M.A.
Becca Steins, M.A., is currently a first-year student in the Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology program at SLU. She is originally from St. Louis and received her B.A. in psychology and exercise science from Drury University, where she also played basketball. She received her M.A. in kinesiology at McGill University in Montréal, Quebec. Her research interests include the psychology of sport injury and concussions, particularly coping with injury and injury-related body image and eating disorders, as well as neuropsychological assessment and rehabilitation of sport-related concussion. In her free time, Becca enjoys cooking for her friends, hiking with her dog Stevie, watching hockey, and exploring different restaurants in St. Louis.
Savannah "Savvy" Jefferis-Henriques, M.S.
Savvy is a first-year student in the Clinical Psychology doctoral program at SLU. She is from Kansas City, Missouri, and received her M.S. from the School of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis and her B.A. from Drury University, where she played on the women’s soccer team. Her research interests include the sex-assigned at-birth differences in experienced sports-related concussions, length of return to play, treatment adherence, and persistent post-concussive symptoms, as well as the neuropsychological assessment of concussions. In her free time, Savvy enjoys playing and watching sports, going to concerts with her friends, and trying new restaurants in the area.
Sascha Eisenstein, M.S.
Sascha is in his fourth year as a student in the Clinical Psychology doctoral program at SLU. He is from Raleigh, North Carolina, and received his M.S. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his B.A. from North Carolina State University. His research interests include neuropsychological assessment and rehabilitation of sports injury and sport-related concussion. In his free time, he likes to play soccer, throw the frisbee, and walk his two dogs, Cosima and Edie.
Alex Chang, M.S.
Senior Consultant
Alex Chang, M.S., is currently a third-year student in the Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology program at SLU. He is from San Diego, and earned his bachelor's degree in psychology at Grinnell College in Iowa. His research interests center around child and adolescent mental health.
Jacob Arett, B.S.
Jacob Arett, B.S., is currently a second-year student in the Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology program at SLU. He is from Plymouth, Minnesota, and received his Bachelor of Science in Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research interests include body image in both athletes and non-athletes, as well as anxiety, trauma, and stress related concerns. In his free time, Jacob enjoys playing tennis and soccer, watching basketball (particularly the Timberwolves), and dabbling in pickleball.
Charlotte Payne, B.S.
Charlotte Payne, B.S., is currently a second-year student in the Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology program at SLU. She is from St. Augustine, Florida, and received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida. Her research interests include neuropsychological evaluation and outcomes related to brain injuries and diseases. In high school, Charlotte played soccer, lacrosse, and golf. In her free time, she enjoys walks in the park and playing pickleball with friends.
Jacob Arett, B.S.
Jacob Arett, B.S., is currently a second-year student in the Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology program at SLU. He is from Plymouth, Minnesota, and received his Bachelor of Science in Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research interests include body image in both athletes and non-athletes, as well as anxiety, trauma, and stress related concerns. In his free time, Jacob enjoys playing tennis and soccer, watching basketball (particularly the Timberwolves), and dabbling in pickleball.
Charlotte Payne, B.S.
Charlotte Payne, B.S., is currently a second-year student in the Ph.D. in Clinical
Psychology program at SLU. She is from St. Augustine, Florida, and received her bachelor’s
degree from the University of Central Florida. Her research interests include neuropsychological
evaluation and outcomes related to brain injuries and diseases. In high school, Charlotte
played soccer, lacrosse, and golf. In her free time, she enjoys walks in the park
and playing pickleball with friends.
Emily Wiegers, B.A.
Emily Wiegers, B.A., is currently a second-year student in the Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology program at SLU. She is from Springfield, Missouri, and received her bachelor's degree from Drury University. Emily's clinical and research interests are broadly focused on child and adolescent psychopathology. She loves hiking, biking, and the occasional puzzle.
Monica Grace, M.A.
Monica is a third-year student in the Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology program at SLU. She received her B.S. in health science from the University of Missouri. She earned her M.A. in clinical psychology from Roosevelt University in Chicago. Her research interests include health behaviors, disordered eating, and panic disorder/anxiety, specifically around adolescence to early adulthood. In her free time, she loves hiking, playing frisbee, and camping.
Sarah Hanske
Sarah is currently a second-year student in the Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology program at SLU. She is from St. Louis and received her bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri. Her research interests broadly include child and adolescent mental health. Growing up, Sarah played a variety of sports including basketball, swimming, volleyball, and golf. In her free time, she enjoys attending St. Louis sporting events (Go Cards), going on walks, and exploring St. Louis with her friends.
Lauren Olson, M.A.
Lauren is currently a second-year student in the Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology program at SLU. She is from Buffalo, New York and received her bachelor's degree from the University of Dayton and her master’s degree in clinical psychology from the University at Buffalo. Lauren’s clinical and research interests focus broadly on neuropsychological assessment and gerontology, particularly psychometric instrument development, sport-related concussion, and neurodegenerative conditions, and mindfulness. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, hiking, and spending time with her dogs, Dexter and Harper.
Lauren Borato
Lauren is a second-year student in Clinical Psychology at Saint Louis University and a Master of Public Health Candidate at Case Western Reserve University. Her research interests are in the psychosocial and cognitive aspects of disease with a focus on maladaptive coping. She is interested in translating clinical exercise-related interventions to promote healthy behavior in the community. By origin, she is a reluctant but hopeful Cleveland sports fan, and is a budding new St. Louis Blues and Cardinals fan. She enjoys Pilates and playing kickball in her free time.
Contact
To learn more or to request an appointment with one of SLU’s Sport Psych Consultants,
please contact Becca Steins or Bella Fiorenzo. The Sport Psychology Services office is located in room 2808 in Morrissey Hall.
Find us on Facebook and Twitter.