Dr. Natalie Durand-Bush is a full professor and scientist in the School of Human Kinetics at the University of Ottawa in Canada. She specializes in sport psychology, with expertise in mental skills training and assessment, mental health and well-being, and coaching psychology. Natalie is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Mental Health and Sport (CCMHS). Over the past 30 years, she has worked as a Mental Performance Consultant with high-performance athletes and coaches. She also co-founded and chaired the Canadian Sport Psychology Association (CSPA), and has served as Vice-President of the International Society of Sport Psychology (ISSP) and President of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP).

Natalie recently co-edited The Essential Guide for Mental Performance Consultants and 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. She created and published the Ottawa Mental Skills Assessment Tool (OMSAT-3*) in 2001, an instrument translated in several languages and used by researchers and practitioners around the world to evaluate mental skills necessary for consistent high-quality performance in sport.

Natalie has played different sports throughout her life, favouring softball, curling, and martial arts. In her adulthood, she enjoys downhill skiing, kayaking, and hiking. As the mom of a daughter and son who grew up playing competitive sports and as someone who has coped with the loss of several family members to cancer, she knows firsthand the importance of mental health and the positive role that sport plays in the maintenance of well-being.

Academic Appointments

  • 2000-2009: Assistant Professor, School of Human Kinetics, University of Ottawa

  • 2009-2017: Associate Professor, University of Ottawa

  • 2012-2021: Adjunct Professor, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences

  • 2011-2014: Assistant Director, Undergraduate Studies and Student Affairs, School of Human Kinetics, University of Ottawa

  • 2017-Present: Full Professor, School of Human Kinetics, University of Ottawa

Administrative Roles and Leadership

  • 2001-2005: Member of Managing Council, International Society of Sport Psychology (ISSP)

  • 1996: Founder, Eastern Canada Exercise Psychology Symposium (ECSEPS)

  • 2005-2009: Vice-President, International Society of Sport Psychology (ISSP)

  • 2006-2008: Co-Founder and Co-Chair, Canadian Sport Psychology Association (CSPA)

  • 2018: Co-Founder, Canadian Centre for Mental Health and Sport (CCMHS)

  • 2019-2020: President, Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP)

  • 2021-Present: Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Mental Health and
    Sport (CCMHS)