About
About Elise
PhD candidate at UCalgary. CMPC. Former varsity soccer player and Academic All-Canadian. Now the person in the other chair.
My Story
The Long Road Here
I grew up in Montreal’s West Island playing competitive soccer from a young age. I went on to compete for the McGill Martlets and the Ottawa Gee-Gees, earning U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian recognition in my final varsity season.
I know what it feels like to carry the weight of competition. The pre-game noise, the mental demands of varsity sport alongside a full course load, the pressure to perform game after game. Those experiences didn’t just shape me as an athlete. They pointed me toward sport psychology.
After my B.Ed at McGill and an MHK from the University of Ottawa, I moved to Calgary to pursue my PhD in Kinesiology under Dr. Penny Werthner, while working directly with Dinos Athletics and the Calgary Blizzard Soccer Club.
The research and the practice inform each other. What I study shapes how I work. What I see in sessions feeds back into how I think about the science.
Education
Academic Journey
Three institutions, two research degrees, and a certification that required hundreds of hours of supervised practice.
In Progress
PhD, Faculty of Kinesiology
University of Calgary
Supervised by Dr. Penny Werthner. Research in sport psychology, varsity sports, and athlete well-being.
2022
MHK, Consultation & Intervention in Sport and Exercise
University of Ottawa
Graduate degree specializing in sport psychology consultation and mental performance intervention. Competed for the Ottawa Gee-Gees women's soccer team.
2020
B.Ed, Physical & Health Education
McGill University, Montreal
Bachelor of Education in physical and health education. Competed for the McGill Martlets women's soccer team.
Certification
2024
CMPC — Certified Mental Performance Consultant
Canadian Sport Psychology Association (CSPA)
Professional certification requiring demonstrated supervised practice hours in mental performance consulting.
Experience
Professional Experience
Current and recent roles with athletes and organizations across Calgary and beyond.
Mental Performance Coach
UCalgary Dinos Athletics
Working with Women's and Men's Soccer teams. Individual and group mental performance support across a full competitive season.
External Mental Performance Provider
Calgary Blizzard Soccer Club
Mental performance consulting for youth and competitive soccer players at one of Calgary's top clubs.
Ambassador & Learning Facilitator
Canadian Centre for Mental Health and Sport (CCMHS)
Facilitating Coach Mental Health Literacy workshops and advocacy programming across Canada.
Research
Published Research
“A Biopsychosocial Model for Understanding Training Load, Fatigue, and Musculoskeletal Sport Injury in University Athletes: A Scoping Review”
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2024
Research examining the biopsychosocial factors behind sport injury in university athletes, contributing to the evidence base for whole-athlete care and mental performance.
Values
What I Stand For
What I believe in outside the consultation room, and how it shows up inside it.
Inclusivity & Diversity
Sport psychology is for everyone, not just elite athletes. My practice is culturally responsive and open to athletes of all backgrounds, identities, and abilities.
Women in Sport
As a woman who played and coached in predominantly male-structured environments, representation matters to me: as practitioners, as coaches, and as athletes.
Mental Health Advocacy
Mental health conversations shouldn't stop at the gym door. I work to normalize help-seeking in athletic spaces where stoicism often gets rewarded instead.
Accessible Mental Training
Mental skills training should feel useful, not clinical. The goal is tools you can actually use in competition, in practice, and in the rest of your life.
Ready to work together?
Start with a free discovery call. No commitment, just a conversation about where you are and what you’re working toward.