21: Erin Haugen, PhD, LP, CMPC – Creating a Niche as a Sport Psychologist in Grand Forks, ND

Dr. Erin Haugen grew up on a farm in rural North Dakota. On the advice of her mom, she decided to stay close to home and “try a semester or two” at UND. What started out as a couple of semesters ended up being a number of years as she received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, ND. Although she attended undergraduate school with the intention of becoming a psychiatrist, in this podcast, she admits that she didn’t know what a psychologist was until one of her professors pulled her aside and said “Erin, I actually think you want to be a psychologist instead of a psychiatrist.” At that point, she took a different route and combined her passion for athletics and understanding people and began working with athletes. She soon became very aware of the performance piece that is present for many athletes and this opened the door for her to do more research and eventually jump into the discipline of sport psychology. Dr. Haugen is a licensed clinical psychologist and sport psychologist in Grand Forks, ND. In fact, she is the only sport psychologist in the state of North Dakota who is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC). In this podcast, Dr. Haugen reflects on her academic and professional journey and gives us a glimpse into how it feels to work with athletes from over 20 different sports ranging from recreational to elite (Olympic and professional). Throughout our discussion, she provides advice for those interested in psychology and also offers specific advice to those interested in the field of sport psychology. Dr. Haugen literally travelled coast to coast to gain experience and education in the field of psychology. She provides insight into why she selected the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks for her doctorate in clinical psychology. Dr. Haugen travelled to Connecticut to complete her pre-doctoral internship at River Valley Services/Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown. She completed her post-doctoral residency at the University of California, Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, CA. She then returned home because she had the opportunity to work at the Assessment and Therapy Associates of Grand Forks (ATAGF) and has been working there ever since she received her license. She is not only a clinician, she is also the Director of Continuing Education and Training at ATAGF. During our discussion, Dr. Haugen talks about psychological flexibility and states that it is “an evidence-based principle and it really describes everything that I’m doing all day with athletes.” She proudly describes herself as a “nerdy kid at heart” and has always been interested in people and why they do what they do. I would say she is an “athletic nerd” because she has always been involved in athletics including anything from basketball to track to now focusing on triathlons (with the help of her border collie mix rescue dogs). I also learned that Dr. Haugen swore that she would never be in a relationship with another psychologist yet, here she is, happily married to a psychologist who specializes in couples and relationship work. You can listen to the podcast to find out what kind of fancy psychological terms they use when they argue. Connect with Dr. Erin Haugen: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | InstagramConnect with the Show: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn https://vimeo.com/674908286 Interests and Specializations Dr. Erin Haugen specializes in sport psychology, elite performance, stress management, sport mental training, adult psychological assessments, professional well-being and overall mental health. She works with athletes from over 20 different sports ranging from recreational to elite (Olympic and professional). Education Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Psychology & Honors (2001); University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, NDMaster of Arts (M.A.), Psychology (2003); University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND.Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.),