Consulting Services

Sports Psychology has many areas of focus. Listed below is a brief outline of the main consulting services I specialize in. If you feel that you may need other services please contact me and I can further assist you in figuring out what is best suited for you. Consulting sessions can be face to face, over the phone or using Skype/Facetime. If you are located outside of Vermont, travel arrangements can be discussed.

Parent Services

I work with parents to help them understand what their child is going through as well as address their own thoughts and feelings surrounding what their child is experiencing.

Parents, just like athletes, can also have anxiety, worry, fears, etc. regarding their child's performance. I have found in my work that often parents have questions as well as their own concerns regarding the best way to handle their child's performance concerns and/or struggles. It is also vital for parents to understand the key mental aspects so they in turn can help support their child's mental skills training program. The focus of parent(s) sessions would be two-fold. The first part would revolve around your primary questions/concerns regarding your child and their performance. Second would focus on education and training of key mental skills areas that will help facilitate your child's progress with their mental skills training program. If you have any questions or are interested in learning more about Parent Services, please click on the Contact Me link above.

Peak Performance Plan

The athlete and I create a plan for helping them achieve their performance objectives and goals.

Each athlete that I work with will receive a customized, tailored plan to help them achieve their goals for peak performance. I work with each athlete to create a plan that will work for them whether it be simple or complex. The peak performance plan will be constructed with the input of the athlete as well to ensure maximum benefit. The areas that maybe included in the plan include, but are not limited to goal-setting, visualization, performance routines, self-talk, etc. The plan can also be adjusted as needed to fit the athlete's needs over time. I believe it is vital to provide a holistic approach when working with athletes. Therefore the plan we create together can focus on other areas that may impact performance such as school, work, personal relationships, etc...

The four phases outlined below are the pathway to reaching your peak performance zone. Each phase will be discussed with the athlete and then tailored to fit the athlete to achieve maximum benefits.

Phase 1 – Discovery Meeting(s)

  • Explain how sessions, relationship work
  • Go over your performance area(s) of concern
  • Establish your key focus areas

Phase 2- Establish Goals/Assessments

  • Assess/analyze performances
  • Breaking down cognitive, behavioral, and environmental areas
  • Set targets and goals with action steps

Phase 3- Creation of Psychological Skills

  • Create specific tools/skills/techniques
  • Modify what works/what does not
  • Solidify the tools/skills/techniques

Phase 4- Follow-Through & Maintenance

  • Small tweaks and/or adjustments
  • Move to fully integrating into your performance

Team Services

Working with coach to find out what the needs are of the team and then creating sessions to help the team achieve their needs and goals.

Being a cohesive unit is crucial for the success of a team. There are many internal dynamics that occur between teammates as well as between the coach and players. For a team to function at the highest level possible it is important for the team to have an understanding of key areas, such as how a team works, the role each person has within the team, the teams' goal and communication processes.

Many times these areas often go unaddressed within a team leading to confusion, frustration and internal turmoil. When addressed, a struggling team can turn into a smooth and well-functioning unit. The focus of my work with teams covers all these areas and more. My services can focus on these general topics as well as be tuned to meet your team's specific needs.

Injured athlete

A relatively new area that focuses on helping an injured athlete maintain a positive mindset through rehabilitation as well as returning to sport.

When an athlete is injured being removed from their sport is not the only challenge they will face. No matter the level of involvement in your sport, an injury is a blow to not only the playing component but also to other aspects of your life. The impact of the injury can range from effecting your thoughts, feelings, emotions, to changing social dynamics and your overall psyche.

My philosophy is to focus on the whole person, not just the athletic part of you. To make sure your rehabilitation goes as smoothly and effectively as possible, it is vital to address the emotional, social and psyche strain that you are going through or may face. To begin, it will be key to address the affect the injury has had on various aspects of your life, not just the sport part. Second, you will learn effective strategies to deal with the emotions and feelings you are experiencing as well as the challenges you may face on your path back to competing.

This process will focus on the positive by helping you achieve your rehabilitation goals and removing focus from on the injury to on how you are going to get better. In turn, this will help you grow as a person and an athlete. Below is an excerpt taken from my thesis entitled "How Injury Affects Athletes: Counseling Resources For Coping with Socio-emotional and Physical Loss".

"A key statement that sums up the reason why athletes need assistance is provided in the Leddy et al. (1994) article. Leddy et al. state that the athletes interviewed expressed an “inability to cope with their injury, the long rehabilitation that followed, the activity restriction and the sense of being externally controlled by the injury.” Among athletes, there is a general lack of knowledge in how to deal with loss. Many athletes prior to injury are confident and have high levels of self-esteem, almost to a point of feeling invincible. It is important to begin to shift the focus from only the sport aspect of the athlete’s life to a broader view. When an athlete sustains an injury, being removed from their sport is not the only effect the injury has. Other effects can be shown in their emotions and feelings both physiologically, and socially. When an athlete sustains an injury all those points are in a sense injured. For an athlete an injury is a large loss that they are not equipped to handle."