Meet our Sport Psychology Faculty

The UNT Center for Sport Psychology and Athlete Mental Health is comprised of faculty from the Departments of Kinesiology, Health Promotion, and Recreation and the Department of Psychology. The faculty members hold national and state recognition as sport psychology practitioners, including: (a) licensure as psychologists in the State of Texas, (b) certification as a Sport Consultant through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, and (c) membership in the United States Olympic Committee Sport Psychology Registry. In addition, they are Fellows in certain international organizations, including the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. The Center for Sport Psychology Faculty are devoted to providing the highest quality sport psychology services to individuals and teams from any and all competitive levels.

Dr. Trent Petrie - Center Director
Trent A. Petrie, Ph.D. is a professor in the Department of Psychology at UNT, and has served as the Director of the Center for Sport Psychology and Athlete Mental Health since its inception in 1998. Dr. Petrie has worked in the field of sport psychology since 1987, beginning when he was a doctoral student at The Ohio State University (he graduated from OSU in 1991). He has worked with athletes, coaches, and sport teams at all competitive levels, and currently oversees UNT Athletic Department's sport psychology and mental health services. He is a licensed psychologist in the State of Texas, a Certified Mental Performance Consultant - Emeritus, Association for Applied Sport Psychology. Dr. Petrie also is an accomplished athlete, having been the co-captain of the 1984-1985 Ohio State University Men's Volleyball Team while an undergraduate. Since that time, he has competed as a triathlete and runner, and coached at the college level. His research, which has been funded by grants from the NCAA, AASP, and NASPE, has focused on body image and eating disorders in athletes, mental health and psychological well-being, psychological antecedents and consequences of athletic injury, professional training issues in sport psychology, and developing positive youth sport environments. Dr. Petrie has published over 150 articles and book chapters, given over 200 presentations at national and international conferences. He has been honored for his work in sport psychology training and education through both AASP (Distinguished Mentor Award, Association for Applied Sport Psychology. October 2019) and APA Division 47 (Outstanding Contribution to Graduate Education in Sport Psychology, Awarded by Division 47, American Psychological Association. August 2017), and was recently honored for his lifetime achievement in research (International Scopus Science-Wide Career-Long Citation Impact of Top 2%, Scopus. 2020). He is a past-president of Division 47 (Exercise & Sport Psychology) of the American Psychological Association, and a Fellow in both the American Psychological Association and the Association for Applied Sport Psychology.

Dr. Kayla Balcom - Center Faculty

Dr. Kayla Balcom is a licensed psychologist in Georgia with PSYPACT authority in Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, DC, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia (APIT Mobility Number 6216). She is the current Director of Sport Psychology for Georgia Tech Athletics as well as the owner of Balcom Psychological Services, LLC. She obtained her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology with a specialization in Sport Psychology from the University of North Texas and completed her APA-accredited internship at the University of Miami. Dr. Balcom specializes in Sport and Performance Psychology services for athletes, performers, competitors, and high-pressure careers. She is able to provide in-person sport and performance services ranging from performance psychology, coaches workshops and education, leadership training, effective communication, disordered eating, identity development, and sport retirement. Dr. Balcom has extensive generalist training making her qualified to provide a wide range of virtual psychological services including individual therapy, group therapy, couples therapy, career counseling, identity development, relationship concerns, communication strategies, and life coaching services. She believes in wholehearted connection, deepening relationships, and living life with vulnerability and authenticity.

Dr. Scott Martin - Center Faculty
Dr. Scott Martin received his doctorate of philosophy degree in Physical Education with an emphasis in Sport and Exercise Psychology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is a fellow of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, a member of the United States Olympic Committee's Sport Psychology Registry, Certified Mental Performance Consultant, and an invited member of the Texas Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke Partnership. Dr. Martin has extensive knowledge in health and performance psychology, physical activity and fitness, and sport which has provided him the opportunity to interact with numerous coaches, athletes, musicians, military personnel, and business leaders about their performance. He has authored or co-authored over 70 refereed professional articles, 10 non-refereed articles, five book chapters, and 200 presentations at state, national, and international conferences. Dr. Martin has received over $2 million in funding from organizations and agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (Science Education Partnership Award), Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, National Association for Sport and Physical Education, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, The Cooper Institute, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, and Girls in the Game. His research interests include examining psychosocial factors associated with physical activity, physical fitness, and body composition; attitudes toward psychology skills and services; effective coaching behavior and leadership styles; and mental skills and strategies associated with performance success. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the American College of Sports Medicine; Association for Applied Sport Psychology; American Psychological Association - Division 47; and Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE America). Dr. Martin serves on several advisory and editorial boards (e.g.,Journal of Applied Sport Psychology; Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology). He also served as an associate editor for the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology and co-edited a Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport Supplement on Texas youth physical fitness.