Institute of Sports Science

Prof. Rebecca Zakrajsek

Contact
Institute of Sports Science
Wilhelmstraße 124
razspam prevention@utk.edu
Consultation Times: by arrangement

Main research

  • Perceptions and attitudes about sport psychology services and techniques
  • Evaluation of mental training programs
  • Thriving through interpersonal relationships in performance environments

Short vita

2024-present
Professor

University of Tennessee

2017-2024
Associate Professor

University of Tennessee

2011-2017
Assistant Professor

University of Tennessee

2007-2011
Assistant Professor

Indiana State University

Selected publications

Journal articles

  • Zakrajsek, R. A., Bianco, A., Estepp, M. K., Raabe, J., & Martin, S. B. (2024). NCAA DI athletic trainers’ perceptions toward and professional use of psychological strategies during sport injury rehabilitation. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, 17, 241-257.
  • Bianco, A. G., Madson, S. K., Vealey, R. S., & Zakrajsek, R. A. (2024). Athletic trainers’, head coaches’, and student-athletes’ perceptions of professional titles used in sport psychology. Journal for Advancing Sport Psychology in Research, 4, 20-34. https://doi.org/10.55743/000027
  • McHenry, L. K., Cochran, J. L., Zakrajsek, R. A., Fisher, L. A., Couch, R. S., & Hill, B. S. (2022). Elite figure skaters’ experiences of thriving in the coach-athlete relationship: A person-centered theory perspective. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 34, 436-456.
  • Zakrajsek, R. A., Raabe, J., Readdy, T., Erdner, S., & Bass, A. (2020). Collegiate assistant coaches’ perceptions of basic psychological need satisfaction and thwarting from head coaches: A qualitative investigation. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 32, 28-47.
  • Zakrajsek, R. A., Fisher, L. A., & Martin, S. B. (2018). Certified athletic trainers’ experiences with and perceptions of sport psychology services for student athletes. The Sport Psychologist, 32, 300-310. https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.2017-0119

Book chapters

  • Zakrajsek, R. A., Martin, S. B., Thomson, S. R., & Gulliver, A. (2023). Stigmatization of mental illness and seeking sport psychology services. In I. Nixdorf, R. Nixdorf, J. Beckmann, S. Martin, & T. MacIntyre (Eds.), Routledge handbook of mental health in elite sport. Routledge.
  • McHenry, L. K., & Zakrajsek, R. A. (2023). Thriving in elite athletes. In I. Nixdorf, R. Nixdorf, J. Beckmann, S. Martin, & T. MacIntyre (Eds.), Routledge handbook of mental health in elite sport. Routledge.
  • Zakrajsek, R. A., Raabe, J., & Blanton, J. E. (2019). Psychological characteristics of elite athletes. In M. H. Anshel, T. Petrie, & J. Steinfeldt (Eds.), APA handbook of sport and exercise psychology: Vol. 1. Sport psychology (pp. 129-148). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000123-008
  • Lauer, L., Zakrajsek, R. A., & Lauer, E. E. (2018). The role of sport psychology for young athletes. In C. J. Knight, C. Harwood, & D. Gould (Eds.), Sport psychology for young athletes (pp. 9-20). Routledge.
  • Zakrajsek, R. A., & Blanton, J. (2017). Evaluation of psychological interventions in sport and exercise settings. In O. Braddick (Ed.), Oxford research encyclopedia of psychology. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.013.223

Other publications

  • Martin, S. B., Zakrajsek, R. A., Casey, T., & Bianco, A. G. (2020). Mental techniques for performance (Independent Course, ISC 30.3.4). In C. Hughes (Ed.), Special topics: Enhancing performance using a mind, body, metric approach. Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy, American Physical Therapy Association.

Presentations

  • Zakrajsek, R. A., Miller, S., & McHenry, L. (2024). Athletes’ perceptions of coach unconditional positive regard, self-regard, thriving, and reslience: Implications for performance under pressure. In R. A. Zarkajsek & S. Wachsmuth (Co-chairs), Transferring humanistic psychology concepts into sport: Implications for enhanced wellbeing and performance success [Symposium]. The 17th European Congress of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Innsbruck, Austria.
  • McHenry, L. K., Lauer, E., Zakrajsek, R. A., Lauer, L., Dieffenbach, K., & Gould, D. (2024). On the same team: A roundtable discussion to enahcne global researcher-practitioner collaborations [Roundtable]. The 17th European Congress of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Innsbruck, Austria.
  • Bianco, A., Zakrajsek, R. A., Couch, S., Fisher, L., Raabe, J., & Hays, S. (2023). NCAA athletic trainers’ personal use of psychological strategies to reduce stress, improve well-being, and enhance performance. Presentation at the Association for Applied Sport Psychology Annual Conference, Orlando, FL.
  • Zakrajsek, R. A., & McHenry, L. K. (2022). A humanistic framework for thriving through interpersonal relationships in sport. In S. Wachsmuth [Symposium]. The 16th European Congress of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Padova, Italy.
  • Zakrajsek, R. A. (2021). Working with and through sport personnel: A key ingredient to the growth of mental performance services. Keynote Address at the 16th annual European Network of Young Specialists in Sport Psychology (ENYSSP) International Conference, presented virtually.