The GSAPP Performance Psychology Center (GPPC), in partnership with Rutgers University Athletics and RWJBarnabas Health, is supervised by faculty of the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP). The GPPC offers graduate students with opportunities to integrate evidence-based practices with student-athletes and other high performers around campus. This training is overseen by certified mental performance consultants (CMPC) and licensed mental health professionals. Simultaneously, the GPPC offers psychological and educational services to athletes, sports medicine, athletic trainers, coaches, administrators, and other high performers within the Rutgers community and outside. The GPPC works with high performers from diverse and multicultural contexts and is committed to the science and practice of overall wellbeing.

What is Performance Psychology?

Performance psychology is the science and practice of how psychology influences performance. Professional sport psychology practitioners often help athletes cope with the intense pressure that comes from competition and overcome problems with stress and anxiety. They also work with athletes to improve overall well-being by helping them learn and incorporate coping skills such as mindfulness meditation, deep breathing, and cognitive reframing.

Purpose

The Rutgers Sport Psychology Program is a resource for student-athletes, coaches, athletic support staff, and teams in meeting the basic psychological challenges of athletic competition.

The purpose of the Rutgers Sport Psychology Program is to educate and train student-athletes so that each one can deal effectively with the challenges of the competitive grind and to be successful in the larger sphere of sport and life itself.

What Does the GPPC do?

The GPPC offers individual counseling services to help athletes address various issues they may experience throughout the course of their collegiate athletic careers. The GSPC also aims to educate athletes and those working close to athletes (coaches, trainers, athletic directors) on mental health, resources, and ways to create a stigma-free environment.