Dr. Nicole Gabana is a licensed sport psychologist and certified mental performance consultant who specializes in working with high-performing individuals and teams to enhance performance and improve overall mental well-being. Nicole has served as a sport psychologist for a range of youth, collegiate, and professional athletes who are dedicated to mastering their mental game. She approaches her work from a holistic perspective that incorporates the mental, physical, and spiritual aspects of the person and performer.
Nicole has served in a variety of different roles as a sport psychologist. She spent three years as an Assistant Professor of Sport Psychology at Florida State University where she became one of the first academic researchers to explore the benefits of gratitude on athlete mental health and performance. She has published numerous studies and book chapters on the topics of sport psychology, positive psychology, gratitude, spirituality, resilience, and athlete mental health.
Following her role at Florida State, Nicole served as the Director of Sport Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. As the first full-time sport psychologist in their Division I athletic department, she spearheaded initiatives to address the mental side of sport, including both mental health awareness and mental skills training. At UMass, she conducted individual sport psychology sessions with athletes daily, as well as leading performance enhancement programming for 21 teams across 14 different sports.
Nicole received her bachelor's degree from the College of the Holy Cross where she rowed for the Division I crew team. She obtained her MS from Springfield College, where she worked as an athletic counselor for a number of Division I-III collegiate teams including Harvard University. She went on to pursue her PhD from Indiana University Bloomington, where she served as an Associate Instructor of Sport Psychology and Positive Psychology to IU college students. During this time, she also provided counseling and consultation to the IU Athletic Department from 2013-2016. Dr. Gabana completed her pre-doctoral internship at The Ohio State University Counseling and Consultation Service, where she provided counseling services to OSU students and served as a liaison to Ohio State Athletics.
In 2022, Nicole left the university setting to pursue her private practice. She lives in Florida with her loving husband and enjoys praying, reading, surfing, traveling, and long walks on the beach.
Speaking Topics:
- The Power of Positive Psychology: Participants will learn about the major concepts of positive psychology--the science of why things go well--and gain practical tools to cultivate a positive mindset in family, work, and life.
- Perform GRATEfully: Participants will learn about the science behind gratitude, and how cultivating a grateful mindset can be a game-changer when it comes to high performance.
- Cultivating Resilience through Gratitude: Participants will learn how gratitude can be essential for maintaining optimism and mental well-being during difficult times, and how to squeeze the good out of bad situations.
- Mental Skills for Optimal Performance: Participants will learn about core sport psychology concepts that help high-performance individuals function at their best, particularly in high-pressure situations.
