Sport psychology approach

As someone pursuing a high level of sport I recognize that you are faced with unique demands and stressors. That’s partly why my training in the sport sciences, in addition to mental health and counselling, is important. My past experience as a competitive figure skater, national level rugby player and coach also inform my approach to helping you towards your performance goals. I believe that you do not need to compromise your mental health and wellbeing in order to pursue a high-level of sport. This is why I take a person- or athlete-centred approach to mental performance consulting. Your mental health and wellness matter and are important for being able to perform at your best. 

I do not have a pre-packaged program nor do I have a magic wand to rapidly improve your mental game (although I wish I did!). Rather, we start with you and your goals for our work together. You may be coming in with a current problem or difficulty that has you stuck or not able to perform at the level or consistency that you know you can. Together we will work at understanding the problem, how and when it shows up, and then work towards solutions to overcome it. Alternatively, you may be looking for ways to begin integrating psychological principles into your training and or refine what you are already doing.  

Rooted in emotion-focused theory, my approach emphasizes self-awareness, self-reflection and self-understanding. Being attuned to your emotional experience, which encompasses your thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and the stories you tell from it, connects you with valuable information. From this well of wisdom you can understand yourself and how you operate in performance settings. 

There is considerable research on the characteristics and mental attributes of top performers. This literature is important but there is not a one size fits all approach to mental training. Depending on your goals and what brings you in for performance consulting we may focus on integrating different aspects of mental training. There are key ingredients to include in any mental training regime. I follow the Canadian Sport Institute’s recommendations for mental training and long-term athlete development. Core mental skills include understanding goal-setting principles, pre-competition routines, emotion regulation (i.e., managing nerves and pressure), focus and concentration skills, self-talk principles, imagery, and ensuring you have a clear vision and sense of purpose in your pursuits. However, which ones are emphasized or need improvement will be unique to you, your stage of development and your sport. These ingredients, among others, are what we would focus on if you’re looking to integrate sport psychology into your training or looking to refine what you are already doing.

The ideal performance state is when you can get into flow. This is when you are completely immersed in what you are doing, time seems to stand still, all of the practice and training you have done translates into a sense of auto-pilot, and you’re not really thinking about anything. It is a glorious feeling, it’s usually when your best performances happen, and unfortunately, it’s one that, like sleep, you cannot force. Rather, you set the stage, do all the things that will position you well to enter into that state. Together, we focus on putting things in place to help facilitate you entering a flow state. A lot of the mental skills are important for when you are not in flow, when you’re not performing at your best, when you are hung up on mistakes, stuck in a negative loop of self-criticism, or hijacked by your emotions. Being able to re-focus, persevere and ultimately deliver under these conditions is what many athletes aspire toward and is the aim of our work together.