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Dr. Kacey Oiness Hired As UNLV Athletics' First Full-Time Psychologist

New position part of Rebel Athletics' continuing emphasis on student-athlete welfare and sports performance

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV Director of Athletics Desiree Reed-Francois announced today the appointment of Dr. Kacey Oiness as the athletics department's first full-time psychologist. Oiness comes to Las Vegas from Purdue University where she coordinated mental health services for Boilermaker student-athletes. The addition of the staff psychologist for athletics position will strengthen UNLV's overall wellness unit as it integrates sports medicine and athletic training, strength and conditioning, sports nutrition and sports psychology.

"Providing for our student-athletes' physical and mental health is an important responsibility and priority for us," Reed-Francois said. "We appreciate the opportunity to partner with our campus to enhance student-athlete welfare. After an exhaustive national search led by our Director of Sports Performance Sarah Wattenberg and her committee of coaches and staff, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Oiness to the UNLV Family."

A Henderson, Nevada, native and former student-athlete, Oiness is a licensed sport and performance psychologist, who specializes in high performance and mental skills training; helping athletes overcome performance barriers including anxiety, slumps and concentration concerns; and counseling interventions for grief, anxiety and depression as well as for eating disorders.

Prior to joining the Purdue staff, Oiness worked at St. Vincent Sports Performance in Indianapolis, where in addition to working with individuals and teams, she consulted for Butler Athletics and the WNBA's Indiana Fever. At the University of Oklahoma, she served as the assistant director of psychological resources for the athletics department, working with student-athletes, teams, coaches, team physicians and athletic trainers as well as serving as the training director for pre-doctoral interns and supervising post-doctoral fellows.

"I am excited to join UNLV Athletics to help UNLV student-athletes reach beyond their potential." Oiness said. "It is evident that Desiree and UNLV Athletics value the whole student-athlete and have built a culture that prioritizes all aspects of student-athlete welfare, including mental health. I take great pride in working collaboratively with other members of the sports performance team to provide holistic care for student-athletes and I look forward to what the future holds at UNLV."

UNLV Athletics partnered with the UNLV Student Wellness Center's Counseling and Psychological Services Department (CAPS) in the creation of the new psychologist position. 

The addition of a full-time sports psychologist is the latest to the department's expanding student-athlete wellness unit. UNLV Athletics added full-time staff positions in sports medicine and strength and conditioning and now also provides student-athletes with a fueling station under the supervision of the department's sports dietitian. 

"As we fully integrate all aspects of our health, wellness, and performance services for our student-athletes, adding Dr. Oiness to our staff is an important piece to the puzzle," said Wattenberg, who used to be a certified athletic trainer. "She is filling a crucial void that will further our mission of graduating leaders, winning championships and excelling in all that we do."

Oiness earned her doctoral degree in counseling psychology from Colorado State University in 2012 and completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Oklahoma Health Consortium, also in 2012, with rotations in the athletics department and the university counseling center. She completed her post-doctoral fellowship working full-time for Oklahoma Athletics in 2013. She earned her master's degree in counseling psychology from Colorado State in 2009 and her bachelor's degree in psychology from Iowa State University in 2006, where she competed on the women's gymnastics team.

Dr. Oiness and her husband, Jared, have an eight-month-old son, Elliott.


 
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