Matt Powless

Dr. Matt Powless, PhD, HSPP

Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology

812-488-2310
mp346@evansville.edu

Dr. Powless earned his PhD in counseling psychology with a concentration in sport and performance psychology from Indiana University. He completed his doctoral internship at Illinois State University where he took part in the Sport Psychology and Eating Disorder rotation areas. Prior to coming to the University of Evansville, Dr. Powless was an Assistant Professor at the University of Southern Indiana for three years. Before attending graduate school full-time, he was an Assistant Wrestling Coach for the Indiana University wrestling team for three years.

He has a wide array of research and clinical interests. With regards to research, the lion’s share of his research has been conducted in the area of sport psychology, but he has taken on projects outside of this arena, too. Examples include (but are not limited to): evaluating the effectiveness of counseling for HIV/AIDS clients in Botswana, investigating the academic experiences of Women in STEM as well as suggestions for promoting inclusivity in STEM education, and analyzing psychological outcomes associated with adverse childhood experiences in a variety of populations (college students, athletes, and Black adults in the U.S.). Furthermore, in his sport psychology research, Dr. Powless has conducted work with both adolescent and adult athletes. In his clinical work, Dr. Powless sees athletes of all age (e.g., youth, adolescent, and adult) and ability levels (e.g., recreational to elite). This work often translates to the therapy and assessment services he provides to individuals who are not athletes.

Publications

  • Powless, M. D., Pilot, Z. A., Bouvier*, Brown*, E. R., Ealum*, M. C., & Iron Rope*, L. (under review). College student depression throughout COVID-19: Fall 2019-Spring 2022.
  • Powless, M. D., Wilkins-Yel, K.G., Li, Y, Lau, P. L., Cheng, J., Wong, Y. J., & Biggers, M. (2022). “[He] gave me a 30-minute lecture on how I was a shitty grad student:” Examining how male faculty can eradicate systemic oppression and support women in STEM. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000393
  • Williams, C. & Powless, M. D. (2020). Ranger up. In Sachs, M. L., Tashman, L. S., & Razon, S. (Eds.), Performance excellence: Stories of success from the real world of sport and exercise psychology (pp. 141-143). The Rowman and Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
  • Powless, M. D., Steinfeldt, J. A., Fisher, S. E., McFadden, P., Kennedy, K. W., & Bellini, S. (2020). Utilizing video-based trainings to improve decision-making in high school quarterbacks. Sports, 8(18), 1-26. doi:10.3390/sports8020018
  • Gabana, N. T., Hutchinson, J., Beauchemin, J., Powless, M., Cawthra, J., Halterman, A., & Steinfeldt, J. (2019). A qualitative investigation of music use among amateur and semi-professional golfers. Sports, 7(3), 1-15. doi: 10.3390/sports7030060
  • Powless, M. D. (2019). A review of “Peak: Secrets from the new science of expertise.”  Journal of Sport Psychology in Action. 10, 1-2. doi:10.1080/21520704.2018.1563574
  • David, J. L., Powless, M. D., Hyman, J. E., Purnell, D. M., Steinfeldt, J. A., & Fisher, S. (2018). College student athletes and social media: The psychological impacts of Twitter use. International Journal of Sport Communication, 11, 163-186.
  • Powless, M. D., Steinfeldt, J. A., & Beebe K. E. (2017). The leadership academy: Evaluation of the effectiveness of an adolescent leadership development program. Graduate Journal of Sport, Exercise and Physical Education Research, 6, 1-15. 
  • Stockton, R., Paul, T., Mokalake, E., Morran, D. K., Powless, M. D., Goldberg, D., Li, S., Blackwell, N., & Sharma, R. (2017). Clients’ perceptions of HIV/AIDS supportive counseling in Botswana: A qualitative study. Journal of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, 4(1), 1-11.
  • Steinfeldt, J. A., Gabana, N. T., & Powless, M. D. (2014). Bullying among male athletes: A contextual examination. In Triggs, P. (Ed.), Handbook on Bullying: Prevalence, Psychological Impacts and Intervention Strategies (pp. 16-31).  Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers.
  • Vaughan, E. L. & Powless, M. D. (n.d.). Fact sheet: Misuse of legal stimulants by children and adolescents. association for behavioral and cognitive therapies. Retrieved from http://www.abct.org/docs/factsheets/LEGAL_STIMULANTS.pdf

* denotes student contributors