Working with a sport psychologist is one of the most effective ways to enhance athletic performance. As a dedicated athlete, you spend hours and hours developing your physical skills and conditioning, yet all too often we neglect the importance of training our mental skills and developing a consistently strong mindset.
By directly focusing on the “mind / body connection” you will improve your confidence, focus, and mental toughness.
A positive relationship with an experienced sport psychologist can help athletes develop mental skills to enhance their performance, cope with pressure, manage stress and overcome mental barriers limiting their success.
Common areas that I address in my work include: confidence building, motivation, mindset training, team dynamics and communication, visualization, goal setting, physical relaxation, and negative self-talk. I work with athletes returning from injury, including post-concussion emotional management and those retiring from competitive sport experiences. Retirement can be especially challenging for athletes as it can significantly impact their identity and sense of who they are without their sport.
My expertise in dealing with both sport specific mental skill development and emotional aspects of identity development provides adolescent and young adult clients with a uniquely supportive and challenging environment that promotes emotional growth, self-awareness and resilience both in and outside of their sport.
Will sport psychology work for me?
ALL athletes and performers can answer YES to many of the above questions throughout their careers. The difference between success and failure at higher levels of sport and competition is often less about one’s physical abilities and more about developing one’s mental skills and strengths. If you want to go from good to great this is an area where most athletes can show measurable gains in relatively short periods of time. For recreational to highly competitive athletes and performance artists, sport and performance psychology can not only enhance performance, but help facilitate personal growth and development.
Typical sport psychology clients include:
Student athletes who want to succeed in school and in sports.
Parents who want to be a positive support system for their athletes and not become the pushy sports parent that kids and coaches don’t want to be around.
Coaches who must learn how to be a motivator, a psychologist and a good listener at the same time.
Professional athletes and performers who want to reach the pinnacle of their chosen sport, to perform to their potential and learn how to balance their career and personal life together.
