SAN MARCOS, Texas – In a newly created role to assist student-athletes with mental wellness, Emily Peterman Cabano has joined Texas State as a sport psychologist.
 
In her new role, Dr. Cabano will work closely with student-athletes and provide counseling and education.
 
"We are thrilled to have Emily join our staff through a partnership with Texas State University Counseling Center," said Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator Tracy Shoemake. "She will serve our student-athletes both as a clinician and a sports phycologist to improve their athletic success and overcome modern-day challenges. We would also like to thank Dr. Cynthia Hernandez, Dr. Lynn Reeder and Dr. Hiliary Jones for their commitment to establish our partnership."
 
Cabano holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Seattle Pacific University as well as a master's degree in sport and performance psychology from the University of Denver. She joins the Bobcats after working at Seattle Pacific University, Madigan Army Medical Center, the Center for Performance Excellence at the University of Denver, and the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
 
"I am so excited to join the staff at Texas State," said Cabano. "I am most looking forward to supporting student athletes' mental health while helping them perform at their best."
 
While with Seattle Pacific, Cabano provided individual sessions, group sessions, and biofeedback interventions with student-athletes presenting disorders and issues while also providing performance enhancement and mental skill interventions. She worked closely with mental health professionals, team doctors, training staff, coaches and dieticians to promote student-athlete mental health and well-being through advocacy.
 
With Denver, she worked directly with the graduate sport and performance psychology program.
 
"Dr. Cabano is a tremendous addition to our staff and will be a valuable resource to our student-athletes," said Director of Athletics Don Coryell. "After many conversations with our coaches, staff and student-athletes, we identified a need to better support the mental well-being within Texas State Athletics. Dr. Cabano is an important piece to that as she gives our student-athletes a dedicated person for counseling and adds to their overall experience. She also allows us to provide care for performance in competition but also in day-to-day life of being an athlete, a student, and a person."
 
Over the course of her career, Cabano has worked with athletes and non-athletes by providing counseling to those with symptoms of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, trauma, personality disorders, co-occurring disorders, and other mental health areas.
 
Cabano is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) through the Association and Applied Sport Psychology. She has also achieved board certification in neurofeedback and biofeedback through the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance.
 
A former student-athlete, Cabano was a gymnast at Arizona prior to pursuing a career in sport psychology. She was a volunteer assistant coach at her alma mater from 2001 to 2003.