University of Richmond Athletics
Athletics Announces The Addition Of Psychologist Dr. Rachel Turk To The Department
08/22/2019 | General, Spider Leadership
RICHMOND, Va. – The University of Richmond athletic department, in conjunction with the campus' Counseling & Psychological Services, have announced the addition of the program's first-ever Staff Psychologist in Athletics, Dr. Rachel Turk, who will work with the Spider student-athletes on a regular basis.
"We are extremely excited to add Dr. Turk to our support team in collaboration with our colleagues at CAPS," Associate Athletic Director for Leadership Development Lauren Wicklund said. "Mental health continues to be a critical priority for our department and we believe that this is a big step forward in providing the best resources possible for our student-athletes to thrive in all facets of their lives."
Dr. Turk earned her Doctor of Psychology from Radford University in August of this year while also earning her Masters of Clinical-Counseling Psychology from Radford in 2015. She completed her undergraduate work at Lynchburg College, earning a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2013. Turk was a four-year letterwinner at Lynchburg in volleyball, being team captain for one year and finishing her career second all-time in program history in assists.
"I am thrilled to be joining such an incredible team of support for the student-athletes at Richmond," Dr. Turk said. "Student-Athlete mental wellness is crucial not only for improving performance, but also for higher life satisfaction and overall success. I am so excited to be another resource our student-athletes can access to manage the wide variety of stressors they encounter on a daily basis and could not be more thankful that UR has created this position."
Turk spent the past year completing her pre-doctoral psychology internship at Appalachian State University with the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Center. Her direct client responsibilities included providing individual and group counseling, workshops and outreach, initial consultation appointments, psychological assessments, providing supervision to trainees and emergency services. During her time at ASU she specialized her skills in working with trauma survivors, eating concerns, and student-athletes.
Furthermore, Turk was the athletic liaison and worked specifically with student-athletes on both mental health concerns and performance anxieties/enhancements. She actively participated in the High Performance Team to improve student-athlete well-being and performance by creating programs to help student-athlete success. Part of this liaison included implementing mental health consultations within the Sports Injury Clinic for athletes who have experienced a season or career ending injury.
In addition to individual therapy with student-athletes, trainings and presentations were provided to teams and coaching staff on requested topics. Lastly, the Female Athlete Body Project training was coordinated and facilitated during spring and summer to reduce eating disorders in the female student-athlete population.
Additionally, Turk took part in five Doctoral Practicums over the past three years. She worked with the Virginia Tech Psychological Service Center Autism Clinic, the Virginia Tech Psychological Service Center Adult Assessment Clinic, the Radford Center for Assessment and Psychological Services, the Radford Student Counseling Services and the Community Health Center of the new River Valley.
Turk also spent time as an instructor at Radford, teaching courses in Adolescent Psychology, and guest lecturing for courses such as Lifespan Development, Psychology of Human Sexuality and Brain & Behavior. During her Masters' level work she interned at HCA Lewis Gale Behavioral Health Pavilion in Salem, Va.
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"We are extremely excited to add Dr. Turk to our support team in collaboration with our colleagues at CAPS," Associate Athletic Director for Leadership Development Lauren Wicklund said. "Mental health continues to be a critical priority for our department and we believe that this is a big step forward in providing the best resources possible for our student-athletes to thrive in all facets of their lives."
Dr. Turk earned her Doctor of Psychology from Radford University in August of this year while also earning her Masters of Clinical-Counseling Psychology from Radford in 2015. She completed her undergraduate work at Lynchburg College, earning a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2013. Turk was a four-year letterwinner at Lynchburg in volleyball, being team captain for one year and finishing her career second all-time in program history in assists.
"I am thrilled to be joining such an incredible team of support for the student-athletes at Richmond," Dr. Turk said. "Student-Athlete mental wellness is crucial not only for improving performance, but also for higher life satisfaction and overall success. I am so excited to be another resource our student-athletes can access to manage the wide variety of stressors they encounter on a daily basis and could not be more thankful that UR has created this position."
Turk spent the past year completing her pre-doctoral psychology internship at Appalachian State University with the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Center. Her direct client responsibilities included providing individual and group counseling, workshops and outreach, initial consultation appointments, psychological assessments, providing supervision to trainees and emergency services. During her time at ASU she specialized her skills in working with trauma survivors, eating concerns, and student-athletes.
Furthermore, Turk was the athletic liaison and worked specifically with student-athletes on both mental health concerns and performance anxieties/enhancements. She actively participated in the High Performance Team to improve student-athlete well-being and performance by creating programs to help student-athlete success. Part of this liaison included implementing mental health consultations within the Sports Injury Clinic for athletes who have experienced a season or career ending injury.
In addition to individual therapy with student-athletes, trainings and presentations were provided to teams and coaching staff on requested topics. Lastly, the Female Athlete Body Project training was coordinated and facilitated during spring and summer to reduce eating disorders in the female student-athlete population.
Additionally, Turk took part in five Doctoral Practicums over the past three years. She worked with the Virginia Tech Psychological Service Center Autism Clinic, the Virginia Tech Psychological Service Center Adult Assessment Clinic, the Radford Center for Assessment and Psychological Services, the Radford Student Counseling Services and the Community Health Center of the new River Valley.
Turk also spent time as an instructor at Radford, teaching courses in Adolescent Psychology, and guest lecturing for courses such as Lifespan Development, Psychology of Human Sexuality and Brain & Behavior. During her Masters' level work she interned at HCA Lewis Gale Behavioral Health Pavilion in Salem, Va.
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