People
Caroline Weppner
M.A., Psychological Science, 2021Caroline joined the lab in the fall of 2019, and served as the Graduate Assistant Coach of the women’s and men's tennis teams at Catholic University during her time in the Master's program. Caroline's research interests include sport psychology, positive psychology, mindfulness interventions, and daily diary assessment of stress and well-being. She is currently a fourth-year Counseling Psychology Ph.D. student at the University of Texas.
Hannah Thomas
M.A., Psychological Science, 2021Hannah joined the lab in the fall of 2019, and served as the Graduate Assistant Coach of the women’s lacrosse team at Catholic U. while in the Master's program. Her research interests include internalizing behaviors in adolescents, mindfulness and acceptance, CBT interventions to improve youth social competence, emotion regulation and performance, and positive psychology and resilience. She is now a fourth-year Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student at Montclair State University.
Claire Flannery
B.S., Psychological and Brain Sciences, 2022Claire joined the mindfulness and sport research team in the summer of 2020. She graduated from Catholic U. in May 2022 with a B.S. in Psychological and Brain Sciences and minored in Neuroscience. Claire was a member of the university’s field hockey team and Vice President of the Catholic University chapter of Psi Chi. She is now a Research Coordinator at Mass General Hospital in Boston, with plans to apply to doctoral programs in Clinical Psychology in the future.
Tommy Minkler
M. A., Psychological Science, 2019Tommy joined the mindfulness and sport research team in the summer of 2017., and served as a Graduate Assistant Coach of the men’s lacrosse team at Catholic U. while in the Master's program. Tommy later graduated in May, 2023 from West Virginia University, where he earned a Ph.D. in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology and an M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. He will begin a position in the fall of 2024 as a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Sport Leadership and Management Department at Miami University (OH).
Megan Hut
M.A., Psychological Science, 2020Megan has been a member of the lab since the summer of 2018, and served as the Graduate Assistant Coach of the field hockey team at Catholic U. while in the Master's program. Megan later graduated in May, 2024 from West Virginia University, where she earned a Ph.D. in Educational Theory and Practice. She will be a Post-Doctoral Fellow at WVU during the 2024-2025 academic year.
Collaborators
Collaborators
Keith Kaufman, Ph.D.
Dr. Kaufman is the CEO of the MSPE Institute, LLC, delivering consulting and training services in mindfulness and sport. He has served as a Research Associate and taught undergraduate Sport Psychology in the Psychology Department at Catholic University, and is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC). Dr. Kaufman is a co-developer of MSPE® and first author of the initial published study (2009) as well as the recent book: Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement: Mental Training for Athletes and Coaches (2018). With a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Catholic U. in 2008, he has a private practice in the Washington, DC area specializing in sport and performance psychology.
Timothy Pineau, Ph.D.
Dr. Pineau worked in university counseling centers for several years after getting his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Catholic University in 2014. He is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC), has a private practice in Washington, DC, and serves as the CFO of the MSPE Institute, LLC. He is a co-developer of MSPE® and third author of the book Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement: Mental Training for Athletes and Coaches (2018). Mindfulness is a cornerstone of his personal life and clinical work, and he has taught a class on Mindfulness and Meditation at Catholic U.
Diane Arnkoff, Ph.D.
Dr. Arnkoff is now Professor Emerita and previously was a faculty member in the Catholic University Psychology Department's Clinical Psychology program for many years. She collaborated on the first three published studies of MSPE (2009, 2011). Click here for Dr. Arnkoff's bio
Claire Spears, Ph.D.
Dr. Spears is currently an Associate Professor in the School of Public Health at Georgia State University in Atlanta GA. During her time as a member of the Clinical Psychology faculty at Catholic U., she collaborated on the first RCT of MSPE that was conducted with student-athletes at the university, and is co-author on two published studies (2017, 2019).
Recent Lab Alumni
(including those with interests in anxiety, mindfulness, or psychotherapy integration -- alums from the sport psych lab are starred)Recent Lab Alumni
Doctoral Students:Liz Hirschhorn, Ph.D., 2016Megan Wheeler, Ph.D., 2016Katherine McMorran, M.A., 2015 Kevin Crowley, Ph.D., 2014*Tim Pineau, Ph.D., 2014Scott Woodruff, Ph.D., 2014Robert Hindman, Ph.D., 2013Sarah Krueger, Ph.D., 2013Enith Hickman, Ph.D., 2012Cindy Alexander, Ph.D., 2011*Lili De Petrillo, Ph.D., 2011*Rachel Thompson, Ph.D., 2011Johanna Kaplan, Ph.D., 2010Vicki Franz, Ph.D., 2009Jessica Sandham Swope, Ph.D., 2009Kim DiGiorgio, Ph.D., 2008*Keith Kaufman, Ph.D., 2008
Master’s Students:*Hannah Thomas, M.A., 2021*Caroline Weppner, M.A., 2021*Megan Hut, M.A., 2020*Tommy Minkler, M.A., 2019David Maron, M.A., 2018*Dennis Hoyer, M.A., 2017*Erin Mistretta, M.A., 2017*Mary Kate Interrante, M.A., 2016*Rokas Perskaudas, M.A., 2015*Maura Kelly, M.A., 2015*Paige Messersmith, M.A., 2015Maureen Monahan, M.A., 2014*Cindy Tenuta, M.A., 2012*Darren Bernal, M.A., 2009
Undergraduate Students:*Claire Flannery, B.S., 2022*Holly Regan, B.A., 2020 *John Flynn, B.A., 2020*Erin Wallace, B.S., 2019*Carlos Aguado, B.A., 2017Caitlan Carney, B.A., 2017Kateri Noble, B.A., 2016Danielle Lawler, B.A., 2015*Monika Rizkalla, B.A., 2015*Jackie Waldron, B.A., 2015Patricia McDaniel, B.A., 2014Morgan Webb, B.A., 2014*Jessica Ford, B.A., 2013Jessica Smith, B.A., 2013*Ashley Suermann, B.A., 2013Doug Boyd, B.A., 2012Andrea Kulish, B.A., 2012Rachel Severino, B.A., 2012Beth Campbell, B.A., 2011*Elena Bohn, B.A., 2010*Justine Gray, B.A., 2010*Frank Shannon, B.A., 2010