Get to know your Managing Council: Sebastian Harenberg

'Get to know your Managing Council' is a new monthly series to highlight the individuals that make up our managing council here at the CSPA, so our members can get to know them and the work they do in our communities.

Sebastian's Roles:

• PhD, Certified Mental Performance Consultant® and Professor at St. Francis Xavier University. 

We caught up with Sebastian to find out more about him and the work he does, here's what we learned ...

Tell us about yourself.

I am a husband and father of 2 beautiful boys. I live in St Andrews, Nova Scotia, a small rural community in the North-Eastern part of the province. I was born and raised in Central Germany (Göttingen area), where I completed my BEd and MEd in Sport Sciences. I moved to Canada in 2009 and completed my doctoral degree in Kinesiology at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan. I am a dual citizen (German-Canadian).

Tell us about the work you do.

I am an Associate Professor in Sport Psychology at St Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, NS. This is my second academic appointment. Previously, I worked as an Assistant Professor of Research Methods and Statistics in Exercise Science at Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY. At StFX, I also work as a CMPC and lead of mental performance with our collegiate athletes on campus. I also consult with youth sport organizations and individual athletes, mostly from Nova Scotia.

Tell us about your position/work on the Managing Council.

I am the lead for the Public Outreach Committee.

Why is your work meaningful to you?

I am in the exciting position where I can teach, research, and consult in the area of sport psychology. To me, all three elements are so important. I love to show to our students why our profession is so meaningful and helpful to performance, contribute to the knowledge that drives our field forward, and apply the best practices with my clients. To me, each of these elements inform each other as well. I learn a lot from my students and clients, which influences what and how I do my research, and vice versa.

What is one topic you are most passionate about in your work?

Relationships – I believe at the heart of being a good consultant, teacher, and researcher are the connections that we build with other people. Trust and respect are so important to me; and I try to be build meaningful relationships in all areas of my professional life. I believe if you are trying to affect change, you need to build relationships first.

What do you do for fun?

I love to be active: Running, golf, soccer, biking, hiking, paddle boarding, anything that gets me moving is great. I am also a soccer and hockey coach, which brings me a lot of joy as well.

How can members connect with you, and what about?

I am happy to chat about anything related to applied sport psychology: academia, careers, applied questions. I always love new ideas how we can grow the field as well. I am not an avid social media person, I am on LinkedIN however. So people can contact me there or via email sharenbe@stfx.ca