Aspen S Ankney
Clinical Assistant Professor
Second Year Cohort Lead: Performance, Sport, and Exercise Psychology
Kinesiology and Nutrition
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Contact
Building & Room:
PEB
Address:
1919 W. Taylor St.
Office Phone:
Email:
About
Aspen Ankney is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Performance, Sport, and Exercise Psychology Masters program. She is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) with AASP and an approved mentor. Her areas of expertise include performance excellence within high-risk occupations, helping performers reconnect to enjoyment in their chosen domain, acceptance-based approaches to performance, finding meaning through performance, and measuring performance interventions. She consults with military, law enforcement, and first responders, specializing in enhancing psychological flexibility. She also consults with winter sport athletes, traditional team sports, and aesthetic sports, with an expertise in endurance and extreme performance.
Aspen was the Program Evaluation Research Lead at the USAJFK Special Warfare Center and School, was selected to serve as Professional Mentor for new performance coaches at Special Operations Cognitive Enhancement for Performance (2019-2020), and was awarded a grant to present at AASP: Integrating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with Adaptability Training for Psychological and Behavioral Flexibility for Military Medics.
Selected Publications
Service to Community
Service to the UIC Community: Coordinator of Sport Psychology services for Flames athletic teams and other performance domains; Campus Advisory Committee for Student Health and Well-Being
Service to Local and National Communities: Psychological Flexibility Training Police Departments; Research and Development for Department of Justice & Department of Natural Resources; President - School District 102 Parent-Teacher Council; Association of Applied Sport Psychology Graduate Program Accreditation Council
Professional Leadership
Graduate Program Accreditation Committee Member, Association for Applied Sport Psychology
Campus Advisory Committee on Student Health and Wellbeing: Personal and Professional Development Community of Practice, University of Illinois Chicago
President, D102 Parent Teacher Organization Council
Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) Mentor, Association for Applied Sport Psychology
Program Evaluation Research Lead, U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School
Lead Mental Performance Coach, Joint Special Operations Combat Medic - Training Center
Lead of Professional Development and Continuing Education, Special Operations Cognitive Enhancement for Performance
Level III Master Resilience Trainer, University of Pennsylvania and U.S. Army
Notable Honors
2019, Presentation Travel Grant, Association for Applied Sport Psychology
2018, Nominee Distinguished Doctoral Student Practice Award, Association for Applied Sport Psychology
2015, Award for Exceptional Service: Support of Best Ranger Competition, MG Bradley Becker: U.S. Army TRADOC
Education
PhD, Education, University of Idaho, 2023
MA, Sport and Performance Psychology, University of Denver, 2012
BS, Psychology, Colorado State University, 2006
Licensures and Certifications
Professional Memberships
Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP)
American Psychology Association (APA): Division 47 - Society for Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology
Association for Contextual and Behavioral Science (ACBS)
Selected Presentations
Evans, J. & Ankney, A, Fisher, K., & Carr, B. Association of Applied Sport Psychology, 40th Annual Conference, October, 2025. 50 min Roundtable Discussion. It’s a mental game: The art of reverse engineering coaching clichés to enhance performance.
Ankney, A., Ankney, I., Baumgardner, B., Sproles, D., & Evans, J. Association of Applied Sport Psychology, 36th Annual Conference, Conducted Virtually, October, 2021. 50 min Panel. Consulting with Performers in High-Risk Occupations: Considerations for Practitioners.
Ankney, A., Ankney, I., & Evans, J. Association of Applied Sport Psychology, 36th Annual Conference, Conducted Virtually, October, 2021. 50 min Panel. The Second ACT: Continnuing the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Journey.
Ankney, A., & Ankney, I. Association of Applied Sport Psychology, 34th Annual Conference in Portland, OR, October, 2019. Podium Lecture. Results of Attention Training for Senior Military Leaders – The Effects of a Daily 15-Minute Mindfulness Based Training During a Professional Military Education Course.
Ankney, A., Ankney, I., Evans, J. Association of Applied Sport Psychology, 34th Annual Conference in Portland, OR, October, 2019. Podium Lecture. Integrating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with Adaptability Training for Psychological and Behavioral Flexibility for Military Medics.
Ankney, A., & Ankney, I., Evans, J., Sproles, D., Toft, N. Association of Applied Sport Psychology, 34th Annual Conference in Portland, OR, October, 2019. 50 min Workshop. Theories of Performance Excellence – Rationale, Conceptualization, and Application.
Ankney, A., & Barnicle, S. Association of Applied Sport Psychology, 30th Annual Conference in Indianapolis, IN, October, 2015. Podium Lecture. Examining the program effectiveness of a mental skills training intervention with Army Basic Combat Training Soldiers.