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

Kayla C. Balcom, Ph.D. is a professor in the Department of Psychology at UNT and a staff psychologist for the Center for Sport Psychology and Athlete Mental Health. Dr. Balcom is a former graduate from the Counseling Psychology doctoral program at UNT with a specialization in Sport Psychology. She completed her doctoral internship at the University of Miami where she worked with the general student population as well as the athletic department working directly with student-athletes. Prior to returning to UNT as a professor, Dr. Balcom was the Director of Sport Psychology at Georgia Tech where she developed and established an athlete mental health department and worked with student-athletes on sport performance and mental health needs. Dr. Balcom has also worked closely with professional athletic organizations, medical departments, hospitals, conferences, and sports medicine groups through her private practice. She is a licensed psychologist in Georgia and Texas, has PSYPACT authorization, and is a CMPC approved mentor. Dr. Balcom’s clinical areas of focus include sport performance, athlete identity, athlete retirement, body image and disordered eating concerns, identity development, career counseling, group therapy, and working with individuals in high demand, high stress fields or professions. She enjoys providing supervision to graduate students in fields related to mental health and sport psychology and empowering the next generation of psychologists and mental health providers to find their space and role in the field. She values wholehearted connection, deepening relationships, and living life with vulnerability and authenticity. Dr. Balcom is also an accomplished athlete, having been a two-time National Champion with the University of Delaware Dance Team and a triple gold medal figure skater (Freeskate, Dance, and Moves in the Field). Since that time, she has completed several half-marathons, has coached dance and skating at various levels, and has been a group exercise instructor for nearly a decade. Dr. Balcom has given numerous presentations at local and national conferences, has been the keynote address at professional medical conferences, and has been a guest on podcasts discussing sport psychology and athlete mental health. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, Association for Applied Sport Psychology, and the Clinical/Counseling Sport Psychology Association. Aside from her professional and sport experiences, Dr. Balcom spends time with her husband and two young children. They enjoy finding new places to eat, new places to travel, and new experiences to have. Originally from Idaho, Dr. Balcom labels herself as somewhat nomadic and has lived in Idaho, Delaware, Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, and Georgia. She values getting out of your comfort zone and exploring new places. She is a collector of vintage 80s rock vinyl and tries to never miss the first Wednesday of a month so she can get her Dutch Brother’s stickers!  

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.