Dr. Jennifer Lape Kaiser, PhD, LPCC, CPT

The Scoop on Dr. Jenn

As a lifelong athlete, I always knew I wanted to work in sport. I thought maybe I could be an athletic trainer when I grew up but then realized- blood makes me queasy! During my undergraduate degree at Ohio State, I learned about the field of sport psychology and was hooked- combining my love of sport with my natural skills in psychology landed me in the right place. 

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Following my formal psychology education, I completed my PhD in Kinesiology (the study of bodily movement) so that I could understand the body as well as I understood the mind. From that vantage point, I understand the mind-body connection from both directions: the mind's influence on the body and the body's influence on the mind. 

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As a counselor, I have had experience working with athletes and exercisers who are looking to achieve, not only peak performance, but appropriate recreation/life balance. Additionally I have worked in the trauma and substance abuse arenas and accrued a wealth of experience and knowledge of how these two areas affect individuals in all areas of performance. As a counselor, I draw from many techniques and rely most heavily on Internal Family Systems, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, somatic therapies, mindfulness, and EMDR. I incorporate biofeedback as often as possible, utilizing the client's own metrics for learning how to manage themselves (e.g., pulse rate, blood pressure, heart rate variability, polyvagal tone, etc). 

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I am based out of Cincinnati, Ohio where I work as a professor and therapist. I am a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) in Ohio and Kentucky and Certified Personal Trainer. 

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Clinical Therapy

As a Sport and Exercise Counselor, my primary areas of work include:

• Mental health counseling for adolescent and adult athletes

• Exercise prescription and coaching for adolescents and adults

• Performance consulting for athletic teams, coaches and individual athletes

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Exercise Performance

Outside of clinical therapy work, I teach and research at Northern Kentucky University in the exercise science department. You can schedule a variety of exercise testing with me at NKU, including:

• VO2max testing for cardiovascular endurance

• Lactate threshold testing for cardiovascular endurance and anaerobic performance

• BodPod testing for highly accurate body composition

• 1RM testing for maximal strength

Some courses I have taught/developed include:

• ​Exercise Testing & Prescription

• *Foundations of Exercise Psychology (graduate level course)

• *Psychosocial Aspects of Athletic Injury (graduate level course)

• Research, Trends, and Issues in Kinesiology

• Exercise Physiology

*Courses developed by me

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My research interests include the use of EMDR as an early athletic injury intervention and the use of exercise as an adjunct treatment for mental health and substance abuse recovery.

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Personal

I am married with 2 active kids who are involved in a variety of sports and extra-curriculars. I enjoy coaching, especially baseball and softball and am an active member of the local community. I have fallen in and out of love with many types of exercise over the years since my official athletic career ended after college. I have enjoyed all varieties of running, yoga, spinning, and strength training. I get to endorse my competitive side through playing pickleball and sand volleyball whenever I can. 

Let’s Work Together

Get in touch so we can start working together.