Sport Psychologist, Intercollegiate Athletics

Department: UL

Classification: Professional Faculty

Job Category: Administrative or Professional Faculty

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible

Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visa sponsorship

Salary: Salary range starting in the $110k's, commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at George Mason University provides comprehensive, inclusive, and accessible mental health services that support students’ psychological well-being, academic success, and personal development. CAPS collaborates across University Life and academic and administrative partners, including Intercollegiate Athletics, to promote resilience, equity, and holistic student success.

The Sport Psychologist serves as Intercollegiate Athletics’ senior leader overseeing the delivery of comprehensive mental health and wellbeing services for all student-athletes within Mason. This position is responsible for developing and executing a strategic vision for mental health care that reflects the demands of elite collegiate athletics, emphasizing proactive wellbeing, crisis management, and peak performance support.

The Sport Psychologist leads a multidisciplinary mental health team and work collaboratively with the Chief Medical Officer, Sports Medicine, Sports Performance, Nutrition, and Academic Support to promote a holistic model of care. This individual ensures that services align with best practices, NCAA and SEC standards, and the department's commitment to student-athlete welfare and competitive excellence.

• Develops, implements, and evaluates mental health policies, emergency response procedures, and best practice protocols to ensure high-quality, compliant, and risk-informed care delivery that supports student-athlete well-being while optimizing performance consistency and competitive readiness;
• Leads and oversees the athletics mental health team to ensure consistent service delivery, accountability, and professional standards and development; and
• Ensures compliance with NCAA and institutional guidelines related to mental health to uphold regulatory standards and protect student-athlete wellbeing.

• Provides individual psychotherapy, case management, and crisis intervention services to student-athletes to support mental health stabilization, recovery, and ongoing well-being within elite performance demands; and
• Participates in daytime and after-hour on-call systems as needed to ensure timely response to urgent and emergent student-athlete needs.

• Integrates performance psychology principles and concepts into care and programming to enhance and support mental preparation, focus, resilience, and recovery outcomes;
• Develops and implements in partnership with coaches and support staff tailored team-based initiatives that promote a positive mental health culture and early intervention;
• Engages directly with student-athletes and team in applied settings (e.g. practices, team meetings, and selected competitions including occasional travel with the team) to increase service utilization and support well-being and performance in real-time environments;
• Designs and delivers education and prevention programs in collaboration with the Health Promotions Educator to build mental health literacy, resilience, and help-seeking behaviors among student-athletes, coaches, and staff; and
• Evaluates and assesses mental health programs and services to measure effectiveness, guide improvements, and inform strategic decision-making.

• Serves as a core member of the Sports Medicine and Performance leadership team to align interdisciplinary care and optimize student-athlete health and performance outcomes;
• Leads case management discussions and provide clinical consultation in multidisciplinary meetings to support and address effective decision-making for complex or high-acuity cases;
• Collaborates with campus mental health, medical, and well-being partners to provide coordinated, seamless integration of services and resources to ensure continuity of care;
• Supports divisional planning initiatives and other special projects as assigned;
• Actively participates in UL divisional meetings, initiatives, and in-person events to stay connected with divisional and institutional priorities, and to foster a cross-unit collaboration;
• Participates in professional development workshops and training sessions for staff across the division to promote continuous learning and skill enhancement;
• Stays informed about best practices, research, and emerging trends in higher education and student support services to ensure CAPS remains innovative and responsive to the evolving needs of the student body;
• Supports and volunteers at divisional programs and events,…