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Principal Sport Psychologist
Dr. Mikesell is a strong fit for:
His work is especially valuable for athletes who understand that sustained success comes from developing both mental skills and psychological health.
Athletic performance doesn't happen in isolation. Anxiety, depression, stress, and emotional well-being all influence how athletes train, compete, and recover. Dr. Mikesell integrates mental performance strategies with counseling psychology to help athletes perform at a high level while supporting long-term mental wellness.
Every athlete has a unique story, values, and motivations. Rather than applying generic mental skills, Dr. Mikesell develops individualized strategies that reflect each athlete's personal experiences, competitive environment, and long-term goals.
Endurance sport asks athletes to stay patient, composed, and consistent through long training blocks and demanding races. Dr. Mikesell helps endurance athletes build the focus, resilience, and mental routines that support sustainable performance.
Whether returning from injury, adjusting to a new competitive level, or overcoming setbacks, Dr. Mikesell helps athletes build resilience, confidence, and practical mental skills that allow them to move forward with purpose.
CERTIFICATIONS Licensed Practitioner (LP), Minnesota Board of Psychology
Authority to Practice Interjurisdictional
Telepsychology (APIT), PSYPACT Commission
EDUCATION Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology – University of North Texas
M.S. in Counseling Psychology – University of North Texas
M.A. in Sport and Performance Psychology – University of Denver
B.S. in Psychology – University of Wisconsin, Whitewater
Doctoral Internship – University of St. Thomas Center for Wellbeing
Depression, Anxiety, Transitions, Endurance Sports, Focus Training, Confidence, Injury Recovery, High School and Collegiate Athletes
Dr. Mikesell believes effective sport psychology begins with understanding the individual before addressing performance. Every athlete brings unique strengths, challenges, values, and experiences into competition, and those differences deserve an individualized approach.
His work blends evidence-based performance psychology with clinical expertise to help athletes improve confidence, strengthen resilience, and develop practical strategies that support both athletic success and overall well-being.
His approach emphasizes:
Dr. Mikesell has worked with athletes across youth, high school, collegiate, and Professional levels while providing both mental performance and counseling psychological services. His experience includes supporting athletes through performance challenges, injury recovery, life transitions, anxiety, and depression.
At the professional level, Dr. Mikesell works with the Minnesota Vikings and USA National Team athletes competing at World Championships and the Paralympics. His background also includes work with Macalester College and USA Curling, and he maintains a particular interest in the unique mental demands of CrossFit and endurance athletes.
His experience includes:
Beyond sport, Dr. Mikesell provides executive coaching and leadership development, working with leaders in other industries who feel the same demands and pressure, and helping organizations and systems elevate to the next level.
As both a Licensed Psychologist and Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC), Dr. Mikesell offers a comprehensive approach that supports athletes and business leaders both inside and outside of competition and work.
Matt Mikesell, Ph.D., LP, CMPC, is a Licensed Psychologist who specializes in sport and performance psychology. He works collaboratively with athletes to enhance the psychological skills necessary to thrive within and beyond sport, including confidence, motivation, awareness, and resilience.
Matt Mikesell joins Premier Sport Psychology after a distinguished career as an athlete and academic, endeavors that have taken him across the country and had him working within a variety of performance domains. A two-sport, two-captain athlete in college, Matt graduated with distinction from the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology with an emphasis in Coaching. He went on to earn his master’s degree in Sport and Performance Psychology from the University of Denver, where he created intervention plans and treatment programming for athletes with eating disorders, and served as the president of the Center for Performance Excellence. While completing his doctorate in Psychology at the University of North Texas, Matt served as a sport psychology consultant for the UNT athletic department, and worked as a Doctoral-level counselor at a low-cost community mental health center, assisting clients contending with military trauma, sexual trauma, depressive symptoms, and identity development. Matt believes in understanding the unique story and unique values that each person brings into performance, and strives to help individuals feel they have someone in their corner. Creating a warm, caring, and authentic environment is critical to the work that he does.
A devoted fitness enthusiast, husband, father, and animal advocate, Matt is most likely to be found outdoors with his kids — raising Cayuga ducks, tending to a growing farmstand, and fostering dogs in various stages of rehabilitation and rehoming. These aren’t unrelated hobbies. They reflect the same orientation that shapes his sport psychology work: a belief that sustainable performance — whether in an athlete, a team, or a flock of waterfowl — requires patience, the right environment, and someone willing to show up consistently before results are visible.
Dr. Mikesell enjoys working with teams, coaches, organizations, and athletic departments on topics including:
For speaking inquiries, please contact Premier Sport Psychology.
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