CONTACTS AND STAFF

For general information call 413-731-3408 or email nffcenter@spfldcol.edu.

Dr. Albert Petitpas, Ed.D. Director NFF Center for Youth Development Through Sport Springfield College 263 Alden Street Springfield, MA 01109 Phone: 413-731-3408, ext. 106 Email: Albert_Petitpas@spfldcol.edu

Al Petitpas is a professor in the Psychology Department at Springfield College, where he directs the graduate training program in Athletic Counseling. This unique program prepares individuals to provide counseling, academic, and career support services to athletes across the life-span and also teaches people how to use sports as a vehicle to enhance personal development. He is also co-founder of Springfield College’s Center for Performance Enhancement and Applied Research (CPEAR), which coordinates the research, publishing, consulting, and grant activities of the Athletic Counseling faculty and students. Al is a fellow and certified consultant of the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology and much of his applied work is focused on assisting athletes with developmental concerns, such as managing transitions, identifying transferable skills, and coping with injuries. He has provided consulting services to a wide range of sport organizations including, the Ladies Professional Golf Association, the U.S. Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Teams, the Career Assistance Program for Athletes of the U.S. Olympic Committee, the New England Blizzard of the American Basketball Association, and several Sports Medicine Clinics. In addition, Al has served on the planning and program development teams for several youth-oriented initiatives, including the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Youth Education through Sports (YES) Program, The First Tee, Pop Warner Football’s Coach Education Seminars, the National Football League (NFL) / National Football Foundation’s (NFF) Coaching Academy, and the NFF’s PLAY IT SMART Program. Each of these initiatives uses sports to create an environment in which young people can learn about themselves, develop relationships with caring adult mentors, acquire important life skills and attitudes, and find a valued place in a positive group. Al has over fifty publications and has served as Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, Sport Psychology Column Editor for Athletic Therapy Today and as an Editorial Board or Guest Reviewer for nine professional journals. His research interests include adherence to interventions, the counselor/client relationship, identifying transferable skills and methods of professional practice.

Dr. Allen Cornelius, Ph.D. Associate Director of Research NFF Center for Youth Development Through Sport Springfield College 263 Alden Street Springfield, MA 01109 Phone: 413-731-3408, ext. 101 Email: Allen_E_Cornelius@spfldcol.edu

Allen Cornelius is also the Director of the Center for Performance Enhancement and Applied Research (CPEAR) at Springfield College. He received his doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995. He is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology (AAASP) and developer of the Sport Psychology Movie Database (SPMD; http://www.geocities.com/sportsmovies), a resource for educators and sport psychologists. His research interests are youth sport and transferable skills, psychometrics of psychological inventories, adherence to rehabilitation, humor as a stress reduction technique, and the use of movies in teaching and therapy.

Ms. Kelly O’Brien Project Coordinator NFF Center for Youth Development Through Sport Springfield College 263 Alden Street Springfield, MA 01109 Phone: 413-731-3408, ext. 102 Email: nffcenter@spfldcol.edu

Kelly O’Brien earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Mount Holyoke College and a Masters of Education from Springfield College where she specialized in athletic counseling. She was the Assistant Coordinator of Educational Services for student-athletes at Boston University and has been an athletic academic advisor for a variety of teams including football and men’s lacrosse. Kelly is currently the Project Coordinator at the National Football Foundation Center for Youth Development Through Sport at Springfield College where she is also an undergraduate academic advisor for undeclared students. In addition, Kelly teaches the Introduction to Sport Psychology course at Western New England College.