2024 Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) Northeast

A group image from the 2019 AASP Northeast Regional Conference

Conference and Registration Information

March 1 - 2, 2024
Hosted by Springfield College

2024 AASP Northeast Regional Conference

About the Conference

The AASP Northeast Regional Conference, hosted by Springfield College, is a student-oriented professional meeting. This conference integrates the College mission (promoting wellness in spirit, mind, and body) with sport, exercise, and performance psychology. The majority of the conference presentations will focus on student research and applied work. Professionals and community members will contribute to student development by sharing diverse perspectives from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines. We seek to build collaborative relationships, bridge the gap between research and practice, and teach students how to apply an interdisciplinary focus to their work.

Contact Information
aaspregional@springfield.edu
Conference Co-Chairs: Elia Burbidge and Thomas Donato

Conference sponsored by AASP

Instagram: @AASPSpringfield

Facebook: @AASPSpringfield

@AASPSpringfieldTwitter: @AASPSpringfield

Important Dates

Registration Opens: December 15, 2023
Abstract Submissions Due: January 26 at 11:59 p.m. ET
Notification of Acceptance: February 5, 2024
Advanced Online Registration Closes: February 29, 2024
In-person Conference: March 1 - 2, 2024

Registration

The net proceeds from the 2024 AASP Northeast Regional Conference will be used towards development of future conferences and/or other sport psychology programming.

Registration fee: $35
Advanced online registration closes on Thursday, February 29, 2024
Onsite registration during the conference will also be available

Abstract Submissions

Abstract submissions are now closed.

Schedule

Open the AASP Program

Keynote Information

Friday, March 1 at 4:30 p.m. - Keynote Panel: 'A Multidisciplinary Approach to Supervision & Mentorship at Springfield College'

Panelists:

Kathleen Mellano, PhD
Chris Selby, PhD
Brian Thompson, PhD
Tina Riordan
Angela Veatch
Gary Enright
Lauren Gray

This multidisciplinary panel of Springfield College faculty and staff will highlight how different disciplines at the College mentor their students effectively, what considerations they find important or selective to their discipline, the conceptual framework they employ, and how sport psychology principles are present within their mentorship/supervision expertise.

Saturday March 2 at 9:15 a.m. - Dolores Christensen, PsyD

Licensed Psychologist and Director of Psychological Resources for Oklahoma University Student-Athletes

This keynote address aims to draw connections between the critical ethical lessons learned during Dolores Christensen’s graduate school training at Springfield College and her current professional practice as a licensed mental health professional working with elite collegiate student-athletes. Foundations of ethical practice will be reviewed. The Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) Ethical Code (2011) and the American Psychological Association's (APA) Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (2016) will be referenced throughout the keynote address. Christensen will present ethical situations common to working with athletes, teams, and coaches. Active audience participation is expected as ethical decision-making models and critical reasoning skills are collectively applied to scenarios involving consultation, applied practice, and research. Specific sections of the relevant AASP and APA ethical codes will highlight ethical mandates related to: impairment and burnout as a practitioner, competence (or not) to “do” sport psychology across a variety of contexts, the role of intersectional multiculturalism and honoring of human differences when working with diverse athletic populations, and the conduct of researchers when partnering with research participants.

Keynote Speaker/Panelist Bios

Image	Dolores Christensen, PsyD, is a licensed psychologist and the Director of Psychological Resources for Oklahoma University Student-Athletes (PROS) in The University of Oklahoma Athletics Department. Within PROS, Christensen works directly with OU student-athletes, coaches, and staff to support the mental health and performance psychology needs of OU athletes and teams. Within this setting, she is also the former chair of the athletic department’s Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Subcommittee and the former chair of the OU Athletics Trans Inclusion Working Group. Christensen has a master’s degree in Sport and Performance Psychology from the University of Denver and a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Athletic Counseling from Springfield College. She completed her doctoral internship at UC Davis Counseling Services in the eating disorder emphasis area and her postdoctoral residency in dual emphasis areas of eating disorders and sport psychology. She presents annually at national professional psychology and sport psychology conferences on the topics of diversity, inclusion, and Allyship in sport psychology (specifically whiteness and anti-racism practices), graduate training issues in sport psychology, eating disorders, and professional practice issues. Christensen was also the 2022 recipient of the Early Career Professional Award from the American Psychological Association’s Division 47 (Sport, Exercise & Performance Psychology) for her work in sport psychology graduate training and diversity, equity, and inclusion within the sport and performance psychology field.
Image	Gary Enright is the associate director of the Springfield College Counseling Center. This is his primary, full-time position and he has worked here since 1994. In addition to counseling, he has served as an adjunct instructor for the Springfield College Department of Psychology since 1990, teaching various courses throughout the years. Enright has learned the value of developing relationships with many colleagues in the Springfield College community. The Counseling Center welcomes collaboration with faculty, staff, and coaches to help the students. Coaches play a vital role in the development of student-athletes. As a mental health counselor, Enright has known the value of supporting students and working collaboratively with a coach to ensure that a student-athlete is well taken care of. Over the past seven years, he has been teaching basic counseling skills to the students in the Athletic Counseling master’s program. It is very important for athletic counselors to utilize basic mental health counseling skills in their work. Oftentimes, student-athletes may have learned to trust an athletic counselor who may be working with their team. Due to the trust that may already exist, an athlete may share with their athletic counselor personal problems that may be very troubling them. As a mentor to the athletic counseling students, Enright encourages them to have the basic skills they may need for short-term work knowing that they may need to refer the student to a mental health counselor. He will be discussing his role more during the conference.
Image	Lauren Gray, LICSW, is the assistant director of Outreach and Prevention at Springfield College. She has been a clinician in the Counseling Center for the past four years and has stepped into this critical new role this year in response to several campus initiatives surrounding mental health prevention and awareness. Gray is the co-creator and facilitator for Pride Cares, our peer-to-peer program on campus, which started in the spring of 2022. The Pride Cares initiative recently expanded to include Campus Cares, a training program for faculty and staff. Both programs provide a deeper understanding of mental health and how to initiate dialogue and provide resources to someone who may be struggling. Gray is also the advisor for Minds in Motion, the mental health club on campus, and Fresh Check Day, a mental health awareness event. In addition to her work at Springfield College, her background includes 12 years as a social worker in end of life and critical care. Gray has supervised Master of Social Work students throughout her career and upholds supervision and mentoring as one of the most valuable aspects of her work.
Image	Kathleen T. Mellano, PhD, CMPC, is an assistant professor and the director of the Sport and Exercise Psychology online master’s degree program at Springfield College. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Texas Christian University and completed her Master of Science in Sport Leadership at Miami University. She received her PhD in Kinesiology with a concentration in Psychosocial Aspects of Sport and Physical Activity from Michigan State University. The focus of Mellano’s research revolves around social and motivational processes in sport with particular attention to relationships among teammates and other key agents. At Springfield College, she teaches graduate courses in sport and exercise psychology theory, applied practice, measurement, and supervises student internship experiences. She is a certified mental performance consultant® and an active member of professional sport psychology organizations. Her consulting practice has included working with a wide range of individuals, teams, coaches, and parents across sport and exercise contexts from youth to elite levels.
Image	Christine Selby is an associate professor of Psychology at Springfield College and is the director of the Athletic Counseling master’s degree program. She also maintains a part-time private practice where she is a licensed counseling and sport psychologist. She is a certified eating disorder specialist with the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals, and is a certified mental performance consultant with emeritus status (CMPC-E). Selby is a member of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology for which she co-founded and previously co-chaired the Eating Disorders Special Interest Group. She is a member of the American Psychological Association and Division 47: Society for Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology for which she has served as president of the society and is currently serving as its council representative. She has presented locally and nationally, and has been interviewed by various media outlets. She has published journal articles and several books, including The Psychology of Eating Disorders.
Image	Brian Thompson, PhD, CSCSD, RSCCE, PN1, is the director of Sports Performance, a professor of Exercise Science, and the graduate Strength and Conditioning fieldwork director at Springfield College where he has worked since 1998. He is responsible for overseeing the Strength and Conditioning program design and implementation for all 24 teams at Springfield College as well as teaching and advising. Thompson first started working in the field of strength and conditioning in 1986 and has trained athletes at all levels from youth to Olympic. He has given presentations and/or conducted strength and conditioning-related workshops more than 150 times in Australia, China, Mexico, Taiwan, and throughout the United States. He is the first non-Chinese citizen to be appointed as an expert consultant to the Chinese National Fitness Trainers Committee. In 2021, Thompson was named the National Strength and Conditioning Association College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year. He received his bachelor’s degree from Ball State University and his master’s and doctoral degrees in Exercise Physiology from the University of Illinois.
Image	Tina Riordan is currently a doctoral candidate in her last semester of the PhD in Sport and Exercise Psychology program. She also serves as a certified athletic trainer (ATC) with additional duties as a clinical preceptor. In this role, she mentors multiple levels of students, where she cultivates a supportive environment, supervising and engaging students in clinical education. With her background as a health care professional and experience in mental performance, she values engaging students in meaningful ways, providing them with hands-on experience and guidance as they develop their skills working with patients and personal strategies to promote well-being and longevity in the profession.
Image	Angela Veatch is currently the associate director of the Springfield College East Campus Outdoor Learning Center and an adjunct faculty member. She is an accomplished facilitator and trainer, program designer, and curriculum developer who prides herself on engaging participants through an experiential lens that promotes learning. She has been an experiential design consultant for Google, The Cleveland Guardians, The United States Army, The NFL, Needham Public School District, and for countless certified mental performance coaches. Veatch is constantly wondering about the human potential and the intersection between high performance and experiential learning.