Athlete Mental Health and Performance Optimization

Brad Donohue is a licensed clinical psychologist and Distinguished Alumni of Nova Southeastern University. He is a Distinguished Professor in the Psychology Department and Director of The Optimum Performance Program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. With a recent focus on optimization science, his applied research is chiefly focused on the scientific development, evaluation, and dissemination of optimization programs, including engagement, assessment, and intervention methods. He also oversees the delivery of mental wellness and performance-based services, including training initiatives that are focused on the optimization of performers in unique cultures with specialized skill sets. He is the author of more than 160 scientific manuscripts, has directed projects funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in the United States. He has been invited to present applied research specific to TOPPS throughout Europe, Brazil, Canada and the United States, and is the recipient of various awards, including the Harry Reid Silver State Research Award, James Mikawa Award for Outstanding Contributions to Psychology Award, Donald Schmeidel Lifetime Service Award, and Barrick Distinguished Scholar Award. Specific to sports, he is a past national amateur light heavyweight boxing champion in the United States. Joanne Perry, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist who serves as the Director of Orthopedic Psychology within the Novant Health Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute in Charlotte, NC. In her role at Novant Health, Dr. Perry, provides clinical and sport psychological services to orthopedic and sports medicine patients, while also overseeing program initiatives, research, and partnerships. Dr. Perry serves as the team psychologist for the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Hornets, as well as the consulting sport psychologist for Queens University. Her clinical specialties broadly include athlete mental health and sport performance enhancement. Prior to her role at Novant Health, she worked as the sport psychologist at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where she delivered clinical and sport psychological interventions to student-athletes. Dr. Perry completed her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Pepperdine University and attended Saint Louis University for both her Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology. Following her graduate work, she completed a pre-doctoral internship at Northwestern University with a specialty focus in sport psychology. Dr. Perry has published on a variety of topics within the field of sport psychology, including studies that are explicitly relevant to TOPPS. She focuses on applied research.

1. Establishing a Culture of Optimization within the System 2. Optimizing the System's Infrastructure, Recruitment and Engagement 3. Optimizing Therapeutic Style and Implementation Strategies 4. Optimal Mental Health and Sport Performance Screens/Assessments 5. Orienting Athletes and their Significant Others to Optimization 6. Establishing Optimal Agendas 7. The Optimum Performance Plan 8. Establishing Optimal Dynamic Goals 9. Establishing Optimal Motivation 10. Optimizing Relationships with Appreciation and Gratitude 11. Optimizing Communication with Positive Requests 12. Establishing the Optimum Environment 13. Establishing Optimal Self-Control 14. Discovering the Optimum Dream Job 15. Optimizing Job Getting Skills 16. Optimizing Financial Management 17. Concluding Performance Programming 18. Applications to Mental Health Syndromes Common in Athletes