Staff

Dr. Todd M. Kays

Dr. Todd M. Kays is a sport and performance psychologist in central Ohio and president and founder of the Athletic Mind Institute. He attended the University of Notre Dame for his undergraduate degree and his doctorate at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

He has worked with athletes of all ages and ability levels, including Olympic, professional, collegiate, and high school, and has helped them become better people and athletes. Dr. Kays was the first sports psychology fellow at The Ohio State University and currently serves as a consultant to numerous coaches and student-athletes at the university as well as being an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Psychology. He was the sport psychologist for the Columbus Crew, the major league soccer team in Columbus, Ohio for five years and has worked with numerous soccer players and coaches at all levels of sport throughout the country and world. Dr. Kays has consulted and/or worked with athletes and coaches from Major League Soccer, Professional Hockey, PGA, LPGA and NFL.

He has authored or co-authored 4 books: Athlete’s Journal, Golfer’s Journal, Positive Transitions for Student Athletes: Life Skills for Transitions in Sport, College, and Career and The Parent’s Playbook: Developing a Gameplan for Maximizing Your Child’s Athletic Experience. He produced Peak Mental Performance in Golf: Sharpening the Mental Side of Your Game, a CD, book, and video series addressing mental training for the sport of golf.

Dr. Kays is in demand as a speaker throughout the country and has appeared on radio, television, and newspaper, including ESPN, Fox Sports, Wall Street Journal, as well as appearing with ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit in a documentary entitled “America’s Student Athletes”. Dr. Kays is also recognized as a pioneer in linking sport and performance psychology to business and industry and has worked with numerous companies throughout the United States.

Maria Bucci, M.Ed., Relationship Specialist

Maria Bucci is an experienced counselor that specializes in relationship issues, parenting strategies and family therapy. She has over 25 years of experience as a former teacher and guidance counselor. She also works as a prevention specialist for Northwest Counseling Services, providing counseling to children in Hilliard, Upper Arlington and the Grandview City School districts. Her expertise includes developing individual and group counseling sessions on topics such as grief and loss, anger management, divorce, social skills and other adolescent issues.

For the past seven years, Maria has been a crisis intervention counselor to Hilliard’s HOPE program. This program offers at-risk students who have been suspended or expelled the opportunity to pursue an alternative school environment.

Maria is also a well-recognized presenter at many workshops for parents, teachers and other counselors where she discusses various developmental concerns such as teaching children responsibility, bullying/violence issues, managing the stress while raising teenagers and discussing gender differences.

Maria is a native of Columbus, Ohio and currently lives with her husband and two children.