Alumni Spotlight Matthew Gonzalez

This field kind of found me. In the first master’s program I was in, I had no direct interest in sport psychology. It was my advisor at San Jose State University, Tamar Semerjian, who encouraged me to try out some applied mental performance work after doing well in her graduate sport psychology course. That led to me working with a local NCAA DIII women’s soccer team. Working with a team in that capacity was something that I had never done before, and from there on I was hooked. After that, I did my best to try to craft a path forward where I’d get quality training and mentorship about how to do this work well. That eventually led me to WVU.

WVU has a legacy of training some of the best sport psychology professionals out there and that was what initially drew me to the program. Once I got there, it was much less about the legacy that made it special and so much more about the people (staff, faculty, and other students in the program) who relentlessly supported each other. Additionally, the concurrent master's program in clinical mental health counseling taught me invaluable skills in interpersonal relationship building and communication that I continue to use even though I am no longer in the clinical mental health space.

My primary responsibility is to provide performance psychology support to cadets at the United States Military Academy. This support extends across the domains of their athletics, military training, and academics. I’d say 80 percent of my job is doing one-on-one and team/group sessions with cadets. My secondary responsibilities are to teach a handful of courses, provide mentorship to our interns, liaise with various departments on academy-wide initiatives/trainings, and to manage our Mental Training Lab.

Service academies are particularly unique in that they are a co-occurring blend of higher education and military training. In terms of the work in this particular field as it applies to military settings, the fundamentals of performance psychology are very similar to what would be seen in athletics. It’s the context, and more specifically the potential consequences of failure, that is different. Cadets at USMA also bear certain unique stressors that relate to the process of graduating from the academy over and above what a typical college student might experience at a civilian institution.

I am consistently amazed by the young men and women who decide to come here. They are some of the finest people I have ever come across and being a tiny sliver of their experience here is a sincere honor. They give so much of themselves to this academy, to the Army, and to the service of our country – their hard work is infectious. I can say the same thing about the people I work with and the other staff, faculty, and leadership that I have encountered across the academy. My favorite thing about working here (especially in the Center for Enhanced Performance) is that everyone is genuinely trying to get better every day so that we can better serve our cadets.

In addition to learning the fundamentals of this field, the SEPP program at WVU was critical in demonstrating the importance of collaborative processes in many facets of doing this work. I’ve taken that teamwork approach to doing my work better everywhere I’ve gone.

My number one recommendation to those considering a career in this field is to approach career development with flexibility. Students can absolutely achieve what they want in this field but have to be open and prepared to take opportunities as they come. In that same vein, varying your experiences will expose them to populations and environments that they wouldn’t have otherwise considered. Like many in this field, I was generally focused on building a career in athletics and hadn’t thought much about working with the military. Now, though, I love my work, this environment, and these people, and I honestly struggle to see myself anywhere else.

When it comes to mental health, a lot of it has to do with those you are surrounded by. My wife and friends have always been reliably there for me when I’ve needed someone to lean on. My son is the best reminder of trying to be in the present moment as often as possible. I also hit the jackpot with supervisors here (Kat Longshore) and at my previous institution (Kelly Thorne). They’ve been extremely helpful in helping me sort out different stressors that have come with these jobs. Over time, I’ve also gotten better at leaving my job at the office and being present when I am home, which has contributed substantially to both better mental and physical health.

Not only do Mountaineers go first, we go everywhere! I’ve run into alumni everywhere I've been over the past handful of years since I have been at WVU. Just a few weeks ago, I met someone else here at USMA who also completed her doctorate at WVU! It’s really special to feel a common bond with so many people in so many places.