Kelsey A. Varzeas (she/her/hers), PhD, LMHC, CMPC is a psychotherapist, research scientist, and assistant professor dedicated to better understanding the unique social, cultural, psychological, and relational stressors that athletes face. Dr. Varzeas centers her work on personalized and evidence-based mental health support for individuals, groups, organizations, and institutions with a particular emphasis on athletes and athletic cultures. Individually, Dr. Varzeas specializes in the treatment of clinically significant mental health diagnoses with those who identify as athletes in addition to her unique training in the application of psychological skills training to athletes and performers. Along with her individual work with athletes and performers, Dr. Varzeas is well-equipped to translate research into real-world applications and apply empirically supported best practices to programmatic development and evaluation of mental health and high-performance initiatives.
Dr. Varzeas received specialized training in the treatment of eating disorders, body image disturbance, and the psychological risks and ramifications of REDs. She has a keen interest in supporting women and girls in sport as a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC), Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC), and research scientist. Dr. Varzeas strongly believes in the importance of continually reflecting upon and challenging structural inequalities around social justice issues and how these issues shape the lives of those she works with.
Dr. Varzeas is committed to destigmatizing mental health in the current culture and sporting world. In addition to her professional, scholarly, and clinical lives, you will most certainly find Dr. Varzeas in the outdoors. As a nature lover, she finds great pleasure expressing herself through skiing, hiking, trail running, gravel riding, and other active pursuits. She honors the importance of rest and recovery through reading, laughing, and frequenting farmer’s markets.