Memphis Athletics continues to add to its student-athlete welfare offerings with the addition of Dr. Yarlie R. Nicolas, LMFT as Assistant Athletic Director, Mental Health & Sports Performance. Dr. Nicolas has over 10 years of clinical experience working in education, private practice, corporate training, organizational leadership, crisis intervention and community mental health.
"We are thrilled to add someone of Dr. Nicolas' caliber to our athletic department," University of Memphis Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Laird Veatch said. "Feedback from our student-athletes and coaches helped identify mental health services as one of our highest priorities, and Dr. Nicolas' credentials make her the perfect person to lead and build a team of professionals in this area. We strive to be at the forefront of developing student-athletes off the field, in addition to on, and Dr. Nicolas' hire is another example of this as mental health services continue to become more and more important in our society."
"I am excited to bring the theme of 'be… breathe… build' to our student-athletes, coaches and staff at the University of Memphis," Dr. Nicolas said. "In order to effectively impact the student-athletes' development on and off the field, it is important to also empower the systems and relationships that can influence the performance such as coaches and other interactions outside of the field. Memphis' commitment to the well-being of its student-athletes is extremely impressive, and I cannot wait to lend my expertise to these fantastic individuals and teams."
"With the goal of addressing the mental health needs of our student-athletes while also providing a resource to our coaches, administration and staff, we sought out somebody who had a clinical and sports performance background," said Memphis Senior Associate Athletic Director, Student-Athlete Welfare Marlon Dechausay. "We knew we needed someone who could come in with a vision and expand on it. We found everything we were looking for, and more, in Dr. Nicolas. The way she has connected with our student-athletes and coaches in a short period of time has been amazing, and the partnerships she is building on campus and within the community will allow us to provide the best care for our student-athletes."
Dr. Nicolas is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University and majored in Psychology while minoring in Sociology. After finishing her undergraduate degree, Dr. Nicolas furthered her studies with a master's degree in Mental Health Counseling at Nova Southeastern University. During this time, Dr. Nicolas worked as a sports marketing intern with NBA and NFL active and veteran players for six years. These experiences fostered a passion to pursue and graduate with her Ph.D. in Marriage & Family Therapy from Dr. Kiran Patel's College of Osteopathic Medicine at Nova Southeastern University in 2020.
Dr. Nicolas worked for the District of Broward County Public Schools, equipping leadership on topics related to Suicide Prevention, Mental Health and Social-Emotional Learning for several years, and she is a member of AAMFT (American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy) and AASP (Association for Applied Sports Psychology), Psi Chi International Honor Society and active in faith-based community.
Dr. Nicolas has been featured speaker for National Black Master's in Business Administration Association (NBMBAA), Nova Southeastern University's Careers in Psychology and Counseling Webinar and is highly involved in the community, addressing various mental health topics such as stress-management, self-esteem, selfcare and establishing healthy boundaries.
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