Candidate statement for Member-at-Large: Jessica M. Mohler

Jessica M. Mohler, PsyD, MA, CC-AASP, is a clinical and sport psychologist. For the past three years she has worked at the United States Naval Academy as the Coordinator of Sport Psychology Services within the Midshipmen Development Center, providing both counseling and mental skills training to student athletes, teams and military groups.

Dr. Mohler attended graduate school in both kinesiology and clinical psychology, and received her master of arts and doctorate, respectively. In 2004, she was commissioned as a lieutenant in the United States Navy and completed her training at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda and at the Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Fla., where she was stationed for the next three years as both a staff psychologist and department head. While at NAS, Jacksonville she received Navy wide recognition for her efforts in applying mental skills training to the Physical Readiness Test.

In 2007, she was deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and received a Joint Commendation Medal for her mental health support and program development for the Joint Task Force. In 2008, she resigned from active duty and joined the staff of the United States Naval Academy where she has continued to work towards developing a model for performance excellence in both the military and sport environments.

Dr. Mohler’s interest in sport psychology developed from her experiences as a varsity collegiate sailor. She continues to compete in sailing as a member of an all women’s crew in Annapolis, MD where she resides with her husband and two children.

Statement

I am excited to be nominated for member-at-large in APA Division 47. My participation in rofessional organizations and, specially Division 47, has had a significant impact on my professional development. It was one f the only organizations hat provided guidance on how to pursue sport psychology, and it provided a network of rofessionals who I looked up to and ho became mentors. My own career experiences have included a hospital/primary care setting, an operational deployed environment and now a college athlete population. I have enjoyed new challenges and been fortunate to supervise doctoral students. It may be in this last role that I have learned the most about the current direction of our field, and felt a responsibility to be a part of Division 47’s future.

When I was a student representative, my passion was about finding a way to practice sport psychology as a career, and I have been mostly successful in making that happen, but now that is not enough. I would like to be involved in the continued growth of our field, and I believe my training and breadth of experience in different applied sport psychology environments puts me in a position to be an advocate and representative for our own diverse membership.

I am excited about being involved in the leadership of Division 47 and supporting its current positive direction. As well, I will work hard to be a voice of the membership and pursue the current initiatives. I greatly appreciate your consideration.