Peak Team

Dr. Natalie Durand-Bush is a sport psychology professor in the School of Human Kinetics at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa. She leads the SEWP LAB and specializes in mental performance training and assessment, mental health, and coaching psychology. Natalie is the Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Mental Health and Sport (CCMHS) – a national Centre providing sport-informed mental health care and resources to the sport community. Natalie is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant® (CMPC) and for the past 28 years, she has helped athletes and coaches of all ages, sports, and levels achieve their performance and well-being goals. Her current consulting work is with the Ottawa Senators.

A relentless advocate for the field of sport psychology, Natalie has co-founded and chaired the Canadian Sport Psychology Association (CSPA). She has also served as the Vice-President of the International Society of Sport Psychology (ISSP) and as the President of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). Natalie recently co-edited the Essential Guide for Mental Performance Consultants and the book Mental Health in Elite Sport. She also co-authored the Mental Health Strategy for High Performance Sport in Canada as well as the Gold Medal Profile for Sport Psychology.

Natalie has played different sports throughout her life, favouring softball, curling, and taekwondo. As the mom of a daughter and son who played competitive sports growing up, and as a person who has coped with the loss of three close family members to cancer, Natalie knows firsthand how important sport, physical activity, and mental skills are in optimizing well-being and performance.