Athletes and Sport Psychology
You've trained hard, refined your technique, and built the kind of conditioning that has gotten you to where you are in your sport. That said, I bet there are moments when the mental side of your sport feels completely out of your control. Maybe you are in the middle of training, a game, or competition, and something just feels off. Then your head is not where it is supposed to be. That's where sport psychology comes in: the mental piece of sport. When the drive, determination, and physical components are not enough.
I work with athletes at all levels, from competitive high school and college athletes to adult recreational competitors and professionals. I also bring something many sport psychologists don't: a personal athletic history. I competed in figure skating and dance to varying degrees, was a college athlete, and still prioritize sport and fitness as a central part of my life. I understand the psychology of athletic identity, the particular pressure of performance, and how terrible it feels when things don’t go according to plan.
No matter what sport, athletes have unique needs for psychological support.
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Manage nerves and performance anxiety.
Competition nerves are normal. Nerves are actually useful in the right amount; they help us perform. Performance anxiety is a problem when it goes from activating and motivating to paralyzing, undermining the performance you trained for.
We will use the techniques proven for sport anxiety and performance. We'll work on managing the arousal response, building pre-performance routines for consistency, and developing the mental flexibility to recover quickly when things start to fall apart. We won’t eliminate nerves, we will just make them work for you instead of against.
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Perfectionism.
Perfectionism is one of the most common and most misunderstood mental barriers for athletes. The belief that accepting anything less than perfect is the same as giving up is incredibly common in a competitive environment, and it was something fueled by coaches for a very long time. Unfortunately, it actually doesn’t make you better at your craft.
Research consistently shows that self-compassion and the ability to tolerate mistakes are associated with better performance over time. This doesn’t mean we don’t focus on improvement; it means that bullying yourself doesn’t lead to good outcomes. We don't lower your standards. We change your relationship with yourself when you fail to meet them, changing the approach keeps you improving.
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Athletic Identity and Life Balance
For athletes whose entire sense of self is wrapped up in their sport, the psychological stakes of performance are extraordinarily high. Everything that doesn’t go according to plan is tied to your identity. The mess-up becomes a global reflection of the athlete. This reduces performance, increases anxiety, and leaves athletes feeling inadequate in a shame spiral.
We work on building out a sense of who you are apart from your identity as an athlete. This doesn't take away your commitment to your sport or that piece of who you are. In turn, it usually reduces performance pressure that's been getting in the way, because your self-worth is no longer tied to the outcome of your sport.
What Progress Looks Like
Athletes I work with describe showing up to competition feeling more present and more themselves. They are more present, able to trust their training, and move forward with intention. The work they've put into their physical preparation finally shows up the way it should without those mental barriers.
