Dr. Chrissy Semler is a licensed mental health counselor in both Massachusetts and Vermont. Dr. Semler is also a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC), a professor at Bridgewater State University, and is listed on the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee Sport Psychology and Mental Health Registries.
In her formative years, Dr. Semler has had a lifelong love of sports and excelled at softball, figure skating, skiing, and cross country. Coincidentally, Dr. Semler suffered a career-ending injury in softball during college, which caused her to focus on sports through a new lens. With her ability to integrate her passion for athletics with mental health treatment, Dr. Semler is adept at focusing on psychological and physical health. Her research has established that nurturing both leads to athletic achievements as well as professional and personal success.
Her professional and academic work has led Dr. Semler to introduce “walk and talk” and other movement psychotherapy to her practice. This ground-breaking method benefits those who feel more comfortable applying light physical exercise to their therapy session. Dr. Semler will conduct sessions on ice, trails, ski sessions on the snow, and other environments where a person feels comfortable.
Dr. Semler currently works with clients in private practice in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, and virtually with clients across the U.S. and worldwide. With over 20 years of coaching experience and eight years as a licensed mental health counselor, Dr. Semler has experience working with athletes of all ages and abilities. She has helped elementary, middle, and high school level student-athletes focusing on developing lifelong skills that transcend beyond sports. Dr. Semler also supports college, professional, Olympic, and adult athletes in individual and team settings.
In addition to speaking engagements at conferences, she travels to provide workshops and presentations for parent, player, and coach education. Combining her expertise in sports and research, she provides coaching, team, and organization evaluations to assist in providing proper support for athletes
Dr. Semler received her undergraduate Psychology degree and Clinical Psychology graduate degree from Bridgewater State University. She earned her Doctor of Education in Sport and Performance Psychology from the University of Western States, in Portland, Oregon. Her doctoral dissertation studied the relationship among coaching leadership styles, cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety, and self-confidence in youth softball players.
Coach Semler has been a pitching instructor since 2001 and is the owner and lead pitching instructor of Diamond Fastpitch, Inc. in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Her passion for learning and evolving her skills as a pitching coach led her to become a certified instructor with Tincher Pitching. Tincher Pitching is a national team of certified instructors who collaborate to share vital information to enhance pitcher performance and limit athlete injury using the research-based methodology. Coach Semler no longer accepts new private pitching students, but she provides mentorship to pitching coaches at her facility.
Coach Semler has also amassed an impressive collegiate coaching record. She led the Massasoit Community College softball program to a National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Region XXI Tournament championship in 2013. One year later, she led her alma mater, Bridgewater State University, to its first 30 win season (32-14) in 13 years, capturing the NCAA Division III Wellesley Regional Championship. Coach Semler has amassed an overall record of 92-64 over four seasons, including a 33-9 (.786) mark in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC). She earned 2013-2014 MASCAC Coach of the Year for the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Demonstrating her versatility in sports, Coach Semler has over a decade of experience as a ski instructor and served as a figure skating coach at the Asiaf Skating Rink in Brockton, Massachusetts. She has also coached Special Olympic athletes in multiple sports
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ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
2018-Present – Assistant Part-Time Professor
Bridgewater State University, College of Graduate Studies, Bridgewater, MA
Courses: Applied Counseling: Adolescent/Adult, Group I: Theory and Process of Group Interaction, Psychological Assessment, The Professional Counselor: Standards, Ethics, and Legal Issues
2015-Present – Adjunct Instructor
Bridgewater State University, Department of Movement Arts, Health Promotion, & Leisure Studies, Bridgewater, MA
Courses: Psychology of Sport and Physical Performance, Psychosocial Intervention and Patient Care, Softball
2013-Present – Senior Day Lecturer
Bridgewater State University, Department of Psychology, Bridgewater, MA
Courses: Introductory Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Special Topics: Sport Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, History of Psychology
2010-2019 – Adjunct Instructor
Massasoit Community College, Division of Public Service and Social Science, Brockton, Massachusetts
Courses: Introductory Psychology, Child Psychology
2016-2017 – Adjunct Graduate Instructor
University of Western States, College of Graduate Studies, Portland, Oregon
Graduate Courses: Foundations of Counseling, Psychopathology: Diagnosis and Treatment
2013-2014 – Instructor
Fisher College, Department of Psychology, Boston, Massachusetts
Courses: Introductory Psychology, Social Psychology, Physiological Psychology
Dr. Semler began her athletic career playing t-ball and baseball before switching to competitive softball. She was on the Bay State Blaze softball team under the tutelage of Marty French for six years, competing at a national level, and was a standout at Avon Middle High School. Taking advantage of the New England winters, Dr. Semler was a competitive figure skater and ski racer.
Currently, Dr. Semler continues to challenge herself athletically, competing in endurance obstacle races, ultra trail running, downhill skiing, cross country skiing, and being outdoors when the weather is not too hot.
info@fortitudesp.com 
www.linkedin.com/in/Chrissy-Semler