Breckenridge sports psychology professor urges athletes to respect their limits

This article was published in the Summit Daily News. By Alli Langley.

Photo of CMC psychology professor Drew Mikita — Drew Mikita, 33, of Breckenridge, is a full-time psychology professor at Colorado Mountain College. The licenced professional counselor also has run his own local private practice since moving to Breckenridge in 2007, working with adolescents on substance abuse and mental health issues. Now he is earning a Ph.D. in sports psychology and shifting his focus to counseling athletes

In the winter, you might find Drew Mikita on the hill at Dew Tour, rubbing the shoulders of a professional snowboarder and helping the athlete visualize success.

You could find Mikita in the spring explaining psychology to a group of Colorado Mountain College students. And in the summer, the Breckenridge resident is often on a trail with a client talking mental health.

Mikita, 33, has been practicing as a licensed professional counselor since he moved to Summit County in 2007, and not long after that he started teaching psychology courses at CMC.

The professor, counselor, athlete and husband of Vertical Runner Breckenridge owner Molly Mikita is about a year away from finishing his Ph.D. in sports psychology through the University of the Rockies.

In Summit, a community full of people who love sports and the outdoors, Mikita has observed how connected the county’s psyche is to the weather. Click for full article