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Leslee A. Fisher, PhD

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Professor
Director, Sport Psychology and Motor Behavior Graduate Program
Sport Psychology
HPER 336
865-974-9973
lfisher2@utk.edu


COURSES TAUGHT

KNS 231 Introduction to Sport Psychology
KNS 538 Professional Practice Issues in Sport Psychology
KNS 541 Supervision in Sport Psychology
KNS 543 Women, Sport & Culture

RESEARCH INTERESTS

The overall goal of Dr. Fisher’s research is to increase athlete empowerment and coach/sport psychology professional awareness through the development of culturally sensitive and socially just projects informed by:

    • Feminist Sport Psychology
    • Cultural Sport Psychology
    • Critical Consciousness
    • Intersectional Theory
    • Poststructural Theory

EDUCATION

PhD University of California, Berkeley Sport Psychology (Physical Education)
MEd University of Virginia Counselor Education
MSEd University of Michigan Kinesiology (Adult Fitness/Exercise Physiology)
BS University of Michigan Kinesiology (Physical Education/Teacher Certification)

EXPERIENCE

The University of Tennessee, assistant and associate professor
Pacific Lutheran University, assistant professor

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

Paulo Friere (1985) and Bell Hooks (1994) have dramatically influenced my views on the role of education in a democratic society and on my teaching philosophy. Hooks’s (1994) notion that education is the practice of freedom and Friere’s (1985) idea that education is not just a process whereby students passively accept information provided by the teacher but co-construct knowledge with the teacher has impacted the ways I include critical and feminist concepts in my courses such as: (a) education as the process of self-emancipation and the practice of freedom; (b) education as “critical literacy”, the raising of questions about “…the nature of knowledge, its justification, modes of discourse and school organization” (Pai, et al., 2006, p.140), including post-modern concepts like the breaking of traditional disciplines; (c) education as the process of learning about the conditions responsible for domination and oppression in society; (d) education as the struggle to overcome such dominant ideologies in society; (e) education as the possibility of alternative practices, ideologies, and social orders; and (f) education as this type of reflection but then moved to praxis, the incorporation of knowledge/theory into real-life action in one’s community.

CURRENT PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS

  • Fellow, The Association for Applied Sport Psychology (2011–present)
  • Certified Consultant (#307), The Association for Applied Sport Psychology (2009–present)
  • Sport Psychology Registry Member, United States Olympic Committee (2012–present)
  • National Certified Counselor (#53602), National Board for Certified Counselors (1999–present)
  • Limited License Professional Counselor, State of Michigan (1999–present)

CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS

  • Examining and mitigating sexual misconduct in sport, with particular focus on survivor experience
  • Developing case studies to educate coaches about sexual misconduct in sport
  • Interviewing collegiate-level coaches and athletes about what caring coaching practice is (i.e., definitions, development, and demonstration of it) as well as what gets in the way of caring coaching practice
  • Critiquing the way caring coaching practice has been conceived of and carried out and offering an alternative viewpoint
  • Exploring sport psychology professionals’ understanding of cultural competence

CURRENT APPOINTMENTS

  • Director, University of Tennessee Sport Psychology and Motor Behavior Graduate Program
  • Member, Association for Applied Sport Psychology Diversity Committee
  • Member, Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport Studies Diversity and Inclusion Committee
  • Guest Editor, Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal Special Issue on Women and Coaching
  • Editorial Board Member, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, Journal of Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise, & Health
  • Applicant, University of Tennessee Council for Diversity and Interculturalism
  • Applicant, University of Tennessee Inclusive Teaching Certificate Program

REFEREED PUBLICATIONS

Morris, S. V.*, Fisher, L. A., Moore, M. J.*, Schools, J. A.*, & Knust, S. K.* (accepted for publication 6-23-21). “Make someone love something and share your passion”: Perceptions of coach caring amongst elite women’s rugby sevens athletes. Sports Coaching Review.

Johnson, E. J., Fisher, L. A., Smith, Z. T., Schools, J. A., & Zakrajsek, R. A. (2021). Exploring adversity and the potential for growth among Iron[wo]man competitors: A focus on gendered labor and (dis)empowerment. Journal of Emerging Sports Studies, 5, 1-29. https://doi.org/10.26522/jess.v5i1.3385

Gearity, B., Fisher, L. A., Yandt, A., Perugini, A., Knust, S. K.*, Bejar, M. P.*, Shigeno, T. C.*, Larsen, L. K.*, & Fynes, J. F.* (2021). Deconstructing caring in the coach-athlete relationship: A gentler form of domination. Sports Coaching Review, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21640629.2021.1936959

Quartiroli, A., Vosloo, J., Schinke, R. J., Anderson, S., Fisher, L.A., & Giffin, C. (2021). Sport psychology professionals’ perceptions of the roadblocks to cultural sport psychology. Sport, Performance, and Exercise Psychology, https://doi.org/10.1037/spy0000256

DeLisio, D.*, Lauer, E. E.*, Shigeno, T. C.*, Fisher, L. A., & Zakrajsek, R. A. (2021). “He pushed his body against mine and asked for my number”: A reflective account of sexual harassment in mental performance consulting. The Sport Psychologist. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.2019-0089.

Quartiroli, A., Vosloo, J., Anderson, S. N., Schinke, R., Fisher, L., & Middleton, T. (2020). The prism of culture: Seeing through the lens of globally situated sport psychology professionals. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 52(1), 51-70. https://doi.org/10.7352/IJSP.2020.51

McHenry, L. K.*, Cochran, J. L., Zakrajsek, R. A., Fisher, L. A., Couch, S. R.*, & Hill, B. S. (2020). Elite figure skaters’ experiences of thriving in the coach-athlete relationship: A person-centered theory perspective. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology.   https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2020.1800862

Schools, J. A.*, Fisher, L. A., Moore, M. J.*, Morris, S. V.*, Egli, T.*, & Knust, S. K.* (2020). “It’s more than just a game”: NCCAA Division II student-athletes’ perceptions of coach caring. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 15(4), 481-494. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1747954120926449

Fisher, L. A. (2020). Using the Larry Nassar Case to create a coach education module to prompt social change. Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, 28(1), 90-98. https://doi.org/10.1123/wspaj.2019-0053

Larsen, L.K.*, Fisher, L.A., Bejar, M.P.*, Shigeno, T.L.*, & Madeson, M.* (2020). “Do not question authority”: Examining team rules in NCAA Division I women’s basketball. International Sport Coaching Journal, 7(3), 317-325. https://doi.org/10.1123/iscj.2019-0077

Quartiroli, A., Vosloo, J., Fisher, L.A., & Schinke, R.J. (2020). Culturally competent sport psychology: A survey of sport psychology professionals’ perception of cultural competence. The Sport Psychologist, https://doi.org/d9qf

 

BOOKS

Prewitt-White, T., & Fisher, L. A. (scheduled publication Fall, 2021). Examining and mitigating sexual misconduct in sport. Routledge.

 

BOOK CHAPTERS

Prewitt-White, T., & Fisher, L. A. (2020). What is feminism? Where have we been and where are we going? In L. Carter (Ed.), Feminist applied sport psychology: From theory to practice (Chapter 1). Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Feminist-Applied-Sport-Psychology-From-Theory-to-Practice-1st-Edition/Carter/p/book/9781138483071#:~:text=With%20an%20emphasis%20on%20women,approach%20to%20working%20with%20athletes.

Roper, E. A., & Fisher, L.A. (2020). Feminist and sport research methods. In L. Carter (Ed.), Feminist applied sport psychology: From theory to practice (Chapter 5). Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Feminist-Applied-Sport-Psychology-From-Theory-to-Practice-1st-Edition/Carter/p/book/9781138483071#:~:text=With%20an%20emphasis%20on%20women,approach%20to%20working%20with%20athletes.

Fisher, L.A., & Dzikus, L. (February, 2019). Bullying. In D. Hackfort, R. Schinke, and B. Strauss (Eds.), Dictionary of Sport Psychology. Berlin, Germany: Elsevier. https://www.elsevier.com/books/dictionary-of-sport-psychology/hackfort/978-0-12-813150-3

Fisher, L.A., & Dzikus, L. (February, 2019). Hazing. In D. Hackfort, R. Schinke, and B. Strauss (Eds.), Dictionary of Sport Psychology. Berlin, Germany: Elsevier. https://www.elsevier.com/books/dictionary-of-sport-psychology/hackfort/978-0-12-813150-3

Zakrajsek, R.A., & Fisher, L.A. (February, 2019). Conformity. In D. Hackfort, R. Schinke, and B. Strauss (Eds.), Dictionary of Sport Psychology. Berlin, Germany: Elsevier. https://www.elsevier.com/books/dictionary-of-sport-psychology/hackfort/978-0-12-813150-3

Fisher, L.A. (February, 2019). Social justice. In D. Hackfort, R. Schinke, and B. Strauss (Eds.), Dictionary of Sport Psychology. Berlin, Germany: Elsevier. https://www.elsevier.com/books/dictionary-of-sport-psychology/hackfort/978-0-12-813150-3

Fisher, L.A. (February, 2019). Cultural competence. In D. Hackfort, R. Schinke, and B. Strauss (Eds.), Dictionary of Sport Psychology. Berlin, Germany: Elsevier. https://www.elsevier.com/books/dictionary-of-sport-psychology/hackfort/978-0-12-813150-3

WEBSITES OF INTEREST

  • Social Justice Through Sport and Exercise Psychology

http://www.socialjusticesep.com/

https://www.ourresilience.org/

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