In his 10th year as Sport Psychologist with the Academic Support Center for Student-Athletes, Dr. David Yukelson is responsible for coordinating sport psychology services for all 29 varsity teams here at Penn State. In addition, he serves as faculty advisor for the Student-Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB) and is an Affiliate Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology.

A mental training specialist interested in the psychology of excellence, he provides individual counseling in the areas of mental preparation strategies for training and competition, motivation and self-confidence, stress management and responsible decision making, and issues revolving around life skills development, self-esteem, and student-athlete welfare. He also offers support and assistance to those individuals having difficulty coping with athletic injury, managing time or stress effectively, making the transition from high school to college smoothly, or effectively balancing academic, athletic, and/or personal needs. In addition to individual counseling, he offers educational programs for teams in the areas of group cohesion and team building, individual and mutual accountability, group goal setting, communication skills training, visualization and concentration training, anxiety and stress management, mental skills training, mental toughness, and issues pertaining to student-athlete welfare. Dr. Yukelson understands the multiple demands that confront intercollegiate student-athletes, and personally believes that mental training techniques are transferrable life-skills that enable student-athletes to excel academically, athletically, personally, and socially (see also Areas of Expertise).

Dr. Yukelson obtained a B.A. degree in 1976 from the University of California at San Diego (Social Psychology); an M.S. degree in 1979 from Florida State University (Sport Psychology and Motor Learning); and a Ph.D. in 1982 from the University of North Texas (Sport Psychology).

A Fellow and a Certified Consultant in the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology (AAASP), Dr. Yukelson has published numerous articles in various professional refereed journals and has had several papers presented at various national, international, and state-wide conferences. In addition, he serves on the Editorial Board for both the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology and the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology and is on the Penn State Sports Medicine Newsletter Board of Advisors.

Dr. Yukelson is a member of the USA Track and Field Sport Psychology Registry, and is the Sport Psychologist for the 1996 USA Junior National Track and Field Team and the Men’s and Women’s National Racewalking Teams. He is also a consultant for the Etonic PGA Education Program.

A native of Los Angeles, Dave and his wife, Marla, have been married 20 years and have three children — Adam (13), Joshua (11), and Drew (7).

His hobbies and interests include hiking, camping, racquetball, basketball, golf, and coaching youth sports, in addition to spending quality time with his family.

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