Kate F. Hays (1943–2021), PhD, CPsych, CMPC-Emeritus, a legend and pioneer in the field of Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology (SEPP), passed away on April 1, 2021 after a courageous battle with leukemia. Kate was a practitioner in the field since 1971 and maintained her independent practice, The Performing Edge, out of Toronto, Canada after having started her career in New Hampshire. Kate obtained her BA from the University of New Hampshire and her AM and PhD in clinical psychology from Boston University.
As a psychologist with over 40 years of innovative and influential contributions to SEPP, Kate was not only a master practitioner, but also educator and scholar in the field. Aside from numerous published professional articles, invited book chapters and presentations, and her own blog affiliated with Psychology Today, Kate also authored/edited five books, which continue to educate the public and practitioners in the field including Working It Out: Using Exercise in Psychotherapy; Move Your Body, Tone Your Mood; You’re On! Consulting for Peak Performance; Performance Psychology in Action; and Integrating Exercise, Sports, Movement and Mind: Therapeutic Unity.
Kate was not only a titan in the field of SEPP, but also within APA and Division 47: The Society for Sport, Exercise, & Performance Psychology. As a fellow of Division 47, Kate served as its president, representative on the Council of Representatives, and member-at-large. She was also the founder of Section 2 of Division 47, Performance Psychology. She was honored with the Bruce Ogilvie Award for Professional Practice from Division 47 in 2004 as well as the Mentoring Award from APA’s Psychologists in Independent Practice in 2017. Kate delivered one of the most honored lectures within Division 47, the Steven R. Heyman Memorial Address in 2016. Within APA, she also served as chair of the Publications and Communications Board in 2017 and 2019, and was affiliated with Divisions 29 (Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy) and 42 (Psychologists in Independent Practice). She received an APA Presidential Citation from Sandra Shullman, PhD, in 2020 to honor and recognize her contributions and accomplishments within APA and the field of SEPP.
Her service to the field of SEPP extended well-beyond Division 47 as she was also a CMPC-Emeritus and fellow of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP), a fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association, listed on the USOPC’s Sport Psychology and Mental Training Registry, and was past-chair of the International Sport Psychology Council. In 2013, Kate was asked to deliver the Coleman Griffith Lecture, one of the most distinguished lectures at the annual AASP conference. Then in 2018, Kate was honored once more with the Distinguished Professional Practice Award from AASP.
Beyond all of Kate’s aforementioned professional accomplishments to our field, her impact was felt by so many friends and colleagues, both personally and professionally. She not only had a profound influence on those she interacted and worked with, but also the future professionals in SEPP who never had the privilege to meet her but undoubtedly will continue to benefit from her knowledge, contributions, and legacy she leaves for all of us to carry forward for generations to come. Kate was a trailblazer for women in the field of SEPP and a mentor to many students and professionals. Even as Kate recognized that her time became limited most recently, she had the grace, clarity, and compassion to share some of this time with her colleagues as she addressed us all with a heartfelt and candid message with her thoughts for our field and what it meant to her. She was unapologetically authentic, and Division 47 and the field of SEPP are all the better because of it.
Prior to her passing, several colleagues, friends, and members of Division 47 had the great honor and privilege to share their fondest memories of their personal and professional relationships and experiences with Kate. Those who knew Kate will miss her sitting at the end of the table, quietly knitting, until the right time arrived for her to add a poignant comment or probing question to bring clarity to whatever issue was at hand.
