Sarah Castillo, Ph.D. is Lead faculty for National University’s new Bachelor of Arts in Sport Psychology program, which is offered in conjunction with the National University Golf Academy.
A Southern California native, Dr. Castillo worked as a performance enhancement instructor at the West Point Military Academy for nine years before returning home to join National University. Her objective at West Point was to promote peak performance among the cadets in athletics, academics, and military achievement. During her tenure there, she worked with coaches and athletes from 15 different competitive sports.
As chair of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology’s Certification Review Committee, she has overseen the evaluation and training of individuals seeking to become AASP Certified Consultants in sport psychology. Her goal at National University is to make a regional impact within her profession.
“Our program is only the fourth in the nation to offer a bachelor’s degree in this discipline,” says Dr. Castillo. “I joined the faculty here to make an impact and help to shape a pioneering program. This is a huge opportunity for students on the West Coast to get an undergraduate degree in this exciting and growing discipline.”
In addition to earning a master's degree in kinesiology and sport psychology from California State University, Long Beach and a Ph.D. in sport psychology from the University of Idaho, Dr. Castillo is an athlete with a background in softball and volleyball. She had no idea that sport psychology existed as a profession until she was a junior pursuing her bachelor’s degree at UCLA.
“I absolutely appreciated the idea of taking high performance individuals and moving them from normal to excellent,” she says. “It really struck me as something I could excel at.”
Once students finish their core courses, Dr. Castillo explains that they can branch into one of two tracks: applied sport psychology; or professional golf management. No matter which path they choose however, she says every student will develop a core understanding of sport psychology, group dynamics, and biomechanics. Once students graduate from the program, she points out that they will be able to apply sport psychology to a diversity of different life skills.
“The Army is at the forefront of applying the well-researched fundamentals of enhancing sports skills and applying them to other more competitive, life-or-death situations,” Dr. Castillo explains. “What they’ve discovered is that those fundamental mental skills absolutely apply to other aspects of peak performance as well. Peak performance training can lead to improved rifle marksmanship, physical training scores, and even a soldier's ability to manage their anxiety and rebound after enduring extremely difficult events or circumstances.”
Whether working with the military, corporate clients or academic clients, sport psychologists have found that successful approaches to mitigating nerves and optimizing performance before a big game are also applicable to focusing soldiers, executives or students before a battle, a business deal or a test.
Graduates of the Bachelor of Arts in Sport Psychology program will be well prepared to coach more than athletes. In addition to qualifying for entry-level coaching positions, they will be prime candidates for promoting peak performance across a broad spectrum of organizations and institutions. The program is also an ideal avenue for gaining admission to graduate psychology programs at the master's or doctoral level, and it will prove beneficial in one additional way.
“There are a good number of exercises in the curricula that will impact our students personally,” Dr. Castillo adds. “The personal application piece is one of the most exciting elements of the program.”
For more information regarding Dr. Castillo or the Bachelor of Arts in Sport Psychology program, click here.
