Healthy Body, Healthy Mind: Exercise Psychology Considerations for Work with Athletes and Non-Athletes in Counseling

Episode

In this episode, Michele Kerulis discusses the relationship between movement and mental health. She shares insights from the interdisciplinary field of exercise psychology and from her extensive work with athletes, including how to help enhance motivation, increase self-awareness, and support athletes' unique mental health challenges.

Presenter

Dr. Michele Kerulis is an associate professor with the Family Institute at Northwestern University and specializes in general mental health, sport & exercise, and lifestyle & wellness. Her years of experience as an athlete, fitness professional, and therapist have created the foundation for her belief that the skills necessary to achieve success in sport and performance are the same skills necessary to achieve excellence in life.

Sport and Exercise Starting her early career as a fitness instructor, Dr. Kerulis quickly became a thought-leader in sport and exercise. Through her academic, professional, and clinical roles, she became a content expert in the field. She developed a Chicago-based graduate master's program in counseling with a specialty in sport & health psychology where her students were eligible for clinical licensure (LCPC) in IL and to become certified through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) and the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC). Several of her graduates have and continue to present at professional conferences, publish their work, and have developed successful businesses of their own.

Dr. Kerulis is certified through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) as a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) and a member of the United States Olympic Committee Sport Psychology Registry. Her involvement in AASP includes Media in Sport Special Interest Group Coordinator, member of the Web Presence Committee, and member of the Ethics Committee. In 2021, Dr. Kerulis was named a Fellow within the Association for Applied Sport Psychology.

A Leader in Counseling Dr. Kerulis has held many elected leadership positions in local, regional, and national associations including Past President, Illinois Counseling Association; Executive Committee, American Counseling Association (ACA); Midwest Representative to the Governing Council (ACA). Other involvements in professional associations include Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD, ACA, Treasurer and Bylaws Committee Chair, Midwestern Representative); was a board member with Illinois Counseling Licensure and Discipline Board, Illinois Mental Health Counseling Association, and Illinois Counselor Educators and Supervisors. Dr. Kerulis is currently the Chair of the Midwest Region of the American Counseling Association.

Dr. Kerulis is currently Core Faculty and Social Media/Marketing Specialist with Counseling@Northwestern, the CACREP-Accredited Master of Arts in Counseling Program from The Family Institute at Northwestern University. She serves as the content expert in counseling ethics and is faculty editor of the Counseling@Northwestern blog which was named one of the best counseling blogs of 2017.

In addition to her professional and academic appointments, Dr. Kerulis serves as a media expert for sport and exercise, lifestyle and wellness, and mental health, and has appeared on outlets such as ABC Chicago, CBS New York, Miami, & Chicago, WGN Chicago, and TMZ.

Education & Certifications B.S. Psychology, Loyola University Chicago; M.A. Sport & Exercise Psychology, Arizona School of Professional Psychology; Ed.D Counselor Education & Supervision, Northern Illinois University; Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), IL; Association for Applied Sport Psychology Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC)