Rate My Professor Trent Petrie

Trent A. Petrie is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of North Texas, where he has served since 1991, advancing from Assistant Professor (1991–1996) to Associate Professor (1996–2002) and full Professor (2002–present). He earned his Ph.D. and M.A. from Ohio State University in 1991 and 1989, respectively, and a B.S. in 1985. As Director of the Center for Sport Psychology and Athlete Mental Health since 1997, he oversees the University of North Texas Athletic Department's sport psychology and mental health services. A licensed psychologist in Texas and Certified Mental Performance Consultant - Emeritus with the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, Petrie has worked with athletes, coaches, and teams across all competitive levels since 1987. His research specializes in sport psychology, focusing on body image and eating disorders in athletes, mental health and psychological well-being, psychological antecedents and consequences of athletic injury, professional training in sport psychology, and positive youth sport environments. His work has been funded by major grants, including a $399,232 PAC-12 grant (2022–2024) for student-athlete well-being, an $18,000 International Olympic Committee grant (2020–2021) on body image in retired Olympians, and multiple National Collegiate Athletic Association awards such as $20,438 for the Bodies in Motion program (2016).

Petrie has authored or edited key works, including the APA Handbook of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Volume 1: Sport Psychology (2019) and chapters like "Education and credentialing in sport psychology" (2019). He has published over 100 refereed journal articles, with recent examples including "Mental Health Concerns Among Collegiate Athletes Decreased: A Prospective Analysis during COVID-19" (Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 2025), "Body image experiences in retired Olympians: Losing the embodied self" (Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 2025), and "Sleep disturbances and risk of sports injury among collegiate student-athletes" (Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 2024). His contributions have earned him Fellow status in the American Psychological Association (Division 47) and Association for Applied Sport Psychology, the Distinguished Mentor Award (AASP, 2019), Outstanding Contribution to Graduate Education in Sport Psychology (APA Division 47, 2017), and recognition in the top 2% for career-long citation impact (Scopus, 2020). A past-president of APA Division 47, he has delivered over 200 presentations at national and international conferences and edited the Division 47 Newsletter (1995–1998).