ABOUT:   Christopher Nickson is a Master’s level mental health professional and former elite athlete that has been committed to working within the mental health field for over the last decade. As a former quarterback for Vanderbilt University and player in the Canadian Football League, Christopher has dedicated his life’s work to enhancing strategies of sustainability for individuals, families, and organizations.

Christopher received his Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in 2015 from Argosy University. While providing therapeutic treatment to youth and families across Middle Tennessee, Christopher coordinated his learnings and the development of his unique skill set with his passion for engaging athletes along a path of psychosocial and spiritual development. As a result, he pursued a niche of sports-based therapeutic services to respond to the holistic developmental needs of elite athletes. In 2017, Christopher founded LifeSkills Sports Academy (LSSA) as an organizational effort to provide individuals and sport-related communities with life skill development tools and therapeutic experiences that contribute to mental health wellness. Christopher later authored the book Trauma vs. Self: An Experiential Guide to Self to assist others in reshaping and redefining traumatic experiences (Mill City Press, 2019). In 2021, Christopher completed his Doctorate in Education and Organizational Leadership with a specific emphasis on athlete mental health and sport organizational strategies and interventions. Christopher is currently continuing his pursuits toward licensure as a professional counselor.