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Featured Alum:

6/06/05. John P. Sullivan, Psy.D. (’93) is a University Psychologist at the University of Rhode Island Counseling Center.  He is the Coordinator of athletic counseling/sport psychology outreach services to the NCAA Division I student-athletes at the University of Rhode Island, he graduated from Niagara in 1993 with a double major in psychology and mass communications.  Following his undergraduate work he earned a M.S. in Counseling Psychology with a Specialization in Athletic Counseling/Sport Psychology from Springfield College.  His doctoral work was completed at the University of Hartford where he earned a M.A. and Psy.D. (Doctorate in Psychology) in Clinical Psychology.   The early academic and clinical journey was focused on developing an initial/proper specialization on Sport/Performance Psychology while in his later graduate work continuing to build on traditional areas of the science.  His other interests and areas of expertise are focused in the neuroscience of psychotherapy, treatment/diagnosis of personality disorders, Short-term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, clinical training issues, and teaching/mentoring in the science of psychology.  He completed his APA approved pre-doctoral internship at Broughton Hospital in Morganton North Carolina.  Broughton Hospital is one of four North Carolina state hospitals serving three-quarters of the states mental health population.  While completing his pre-doctoral internship he also engaged in an outpatient rotation two days’ weekly working children and families in Asheville, North Carolina.  Dr. Sullivan has worked as a mental health professional for eleven years and provided professional services to a variety of populations including geriatrics, adults, adolescents, and children.  He has provided clinical care to diverse populations in a variety of settings (inpatient, partial hospital, community mental health, college counseling centers, and private practice).  He has served extensively as a consultant, practitioner, lecturer (undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate), and researcher in the areas of Clinical, Counseling, Organizational, Sport, Performance, and Experimental Psychology. 

 In the late summer of 2001 he started a position at the University of Rhode Island’s Counseling Center as generalist to work with the student body and also as a specialist to start a Sport Psychology/Athletic Counseling program for NCAA Division I athletes.  His program is one of only twenty comprehensive programs in the nation that attends to the psychological, developmental, and performance issues of student-athletes.  He works collaboratively with student-athletes, faculty, staff, athletic administrators, sport medicine personnel, and coaches to provide these services.  In only its fourth year the program has grown with increasing utilization and prominence in the state and New England region.  Within the first year of the programs existence Dr. Sullivan received an inquiry for services from beyond the University and landed a contract with a major professional sports organization.

Since that time he has become the co-founder and the Chief Executive Officer of Clinical & Sports Consulting Services (www.performancedocs.com) a consulting practice focusing on providing advisement, direct sport/performance/clinical services, and assessment/research to Professional, Olympic, Collegiate, High School, and youth athletes.  Additionally, he has worked with other life performers including those in medicine, business, higher education, and the performing arts.  Not only has he worked with individuals but he also works with organizations and systems on issues related to performance and mental health issues (e.g.: universities, community colleges, professional sports organizations, youth sports organizations, manufacturing companies, financial firms, and the technology industry).  Since 2002, the consulting practice’s home has been at the International Scholar Athlete Hall of Fame (www.internationalsport.com).  Dr. Sullivan has worked with an assortment of sports since 1993 including archery, basketball, baseball, biathlon, board sailing, bowling, cycling, equestrian, football, golf, lacrosse, marital arts, rowing, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, triathlon and volleyball (indoor & beach).  He is currently working on a series of books related to performance enhancement and educational videos on drug use in sport.  The videos are a collaborative effort with HRM video (http://www.hrmvideo.com) and his consulting firm taking a motivational interviewing/prevention approach to issues of alcohol use among high school and college athletes.  He will actively take part in production, being an on-screen expert, and writing the education curriculum.  Dr. Sullivan has also involved himself in research/prevention/treatment models focusing on occupational burnout for sport professionals (coaches, sports medicine personnel, etc).  He remains active in presenting at professional conferences and recently was invited to speak at the combined Rhode Island and Massachusetts Athletic Trainers Conference, where he presented on two topics:  Psychological Factors of Athletic Injury  and Sport Psychology Solutions to Occupational Burnout:  Athletic Trainers are Performers!

Dr. Sullivan currently resides in Newport, Rhode Island where he remains active in his loves of running, cycling, and taking in the sights and sounds of Newport, historically the nation’s first seaside resort. 

Past Featured Alums