Amanda J. Visek, Ph.D.

Amanda J. Visek is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Exercise Science.

When Professor Visek discovered the young and dynamic field of sport and exercise psychology, she truly felt that her scholarly, athletic and personal interests had coalesced. A National Certified Counselor (NCC), she says, "I strongly believe my counseling background better enables me to build rapport, establish relationships, and integrate theory, research and practice to improve the performance, exercise adherence and life skills of students, athletes, coaches, and exercisers alike." As an Association of Applied Sport Psychology Certified Consultant (AASP-CC) and exercise psychology adherence specialist, Dr. Visek has worked with athletes at all levels - including youth, collegiate club, and NCAA Division I competitors - as well as with overweight and obese populations. As a guide, mentor, and teacher, she has encouraged students to pursue the field of sport and exercise psychology. And, as a scholar, she is very involved in research to advance the knowledge base of her chosen discipline, focusing especially on performance enhancement, aggression in sports, youth sport, and exercise adherence interventions. Amanda J. Visek, Ph.D., CC-AASP, NCC was just elected to the Executive Board of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology as the Division Head for Public Relations and Outreach.

Bachelor of Arts (Exercise and Sport Science), UNC-Chapel Hill, 2002 Bachelor of Arts (Psychology), UNC-Chapel Hill, 2002 Master of Science (Sport Psychology), West Virginia University, 2004 Master of Arts (Counseling), West Virginia University, 2007 Doctor of Philosophy (Sport and Exercise Psychology), West Virginia University, 2007

ExSc 140: Exercise and Sport Psychology, Department of Exercise Science ExSc 141: Psychology of Injury and Performance, Department of Exercise Science ExSc 142: Physical Activity, Health, and Behavior Change, Department of Exercise Science ExSc 240: Psychological Aspects of Sport, Exercise, and Fitness, Department of Exercise Science

Dr. Visek's research interests include sport performance enhancement, sport aggression, youth sport, and exercise psychology. In collaboration with domestic and international colleagues, she currently conducts research on the relationships among athletic identity, anger, aggression; assesses parental sideline aggression and the efficacy of youth sport parent education programs; and examines sport aggression cross-culturally. With regard to sport performance enhancement she is working to develop a consulting model to aid sport psychology practitioners in the provision of sport psychology services to youth sport participants, and is also validating a trait version of the Coping Style in Competitive Sport measure. Lastly, Dr. Visek is continuing to assess the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral exercise adherence intervention she co-developed; and is beginning to evaluate the role of life priorities in physical activity.

Dr. Visek serves on the Executive Board of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) as the Division Head, Outreach and Publicity, and is an active member of the American Psychological Association (APA). She also serves as a reviewer for a number of scholarly journals in her discipline including the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, The Sport Psychologist, and Perceptual and Motor Skills.