Dr. Justin DiSanti is a mental training consultant who specializes in promoting optimal performance and well-rounded health. Justin studied at Penn State University where he received a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in kinesiology, continued to Miami University (Ohio) to receive a master’s degree in psychosocial sport studies, and attended Michigan State University to earn his PhD in sport psychology. Justin recently completed a post-doctoral fellowship at A.T. Still University’s School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona, where he worked with athletic trainers and sports medicine practitioners to enhance the quality of their care for athletes’ mental and social well-being. Justin prides himself in the ability to provide a multifaceted set of consulting services; examples of topics that he has emphasized in his work include mental skills training, psychosocial aspects of sport injury, leadership development, culture building, and facilitating holistic growth through sport participation.
Throughout his career, Justin has had the opportunity to work with a diverse set of clients and organizations in individual, team, and corporate settings at the collegiate, high school, and community levels. Examples include serving as a mental performance consultant for Michigan State University’s gymnastics and archery teams, working as a research and education liaison for the Michigan High School Athletic Association, and collaborating with medical organizations such as Dignity Healthcare in Arizona.
Justin’s consulting approach is guided by three key principles:
1) Strengthen the mind-body connection – many athletes and performers fail to see the close connection between their mind and body, instead framing performance challenges as “all in their head” or “completely mental.” I endorse an action-oriented approach so that an athlete’s mentality not only effectively guides their physical performance, but also so that clear, simple, behavioral cues create their optimal mental state as well. Most simply, I have found that when the mind and body are in sync, performers are most likely play their best and have their most enjoyable competitive experiences.
2) Know the whole person – far too often, athletes define themselves as individuals based solely on their performance successes and failures. While I appreciate and encourage the passion and commitment that athletes possess in striving to be their best, I also help athletes to integrate these attributes in a healthy way. I take pride in my ability to learn not only who an athlete is on the field, but also what defines them outside of sports, so that I can empower them to effectively navigate the many inevitable ups and downs that they will experience on their life’s journey – in athletics and otherwise.
3) Understand the system – no athlete or performer exists in a vacuum; to optimize efforts toward performance excellence, I work with clients to think critically about how individuals’ strengths, weaknesses, and preferences fit within the unique characteristics of their system. This approach facilitates a shared organizational vision, clarity of roles and responsibilities, and enables leaders to make effective lasting changes to build a productive, healthy culture among their team.
In addition to his consulting work, Justin has accumulated a wealth of teaching experience in college courses related to sport psychology, sports medicine, and sociocultural aspects of sport and physical activity. Justin is a member of several professional sport psychology and sports medicine organizations, including the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity and the Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine Society. He has presented his research at international conferences, published manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals, and delivered workshops and practitioner education to coaches, parents, and administrators. Through this work Justin aims to empower students and clients to be well-rounded, informed, passionate leaders in sport and other performance domains.
In his free time, Justin enjoys spending time with friends and family and outdoor activities such as hiking, skiing, playing golf, and hockey.
