Individual Sport Psychology Consulting

Although many sport psychology skills can be learned through group presentations, some athletes/performers prefer a more individualized approach to sport psychology consulting. Therefore, I offer one-on-one consultations that are designed to fit each individual's performance needs. Individual sessions are designed for those who are looking to maximize an already high performance level, for athletes/performers who are underperforming and would like to improve, or for recreational athletes looking to gain more satisfaction from their improvement in sport.

Individual sport psychology sessions typically begin with an initial session that will provide me with an opportunity to get to know more about your athletic history and help you assess your sport strengths and weaknesses.
Following an initial session, ongoing individual sessions can be scheduled on an as-needed basis that will focus on the skills and techniques needed to address specific sport performance issues or to improve upon overall sport performance. These sessions are designed to teach the athlete the mental training skills he/she needs to consistently perform at an optimum level for competition.

Topics discussed in individual sport psychology consultations will depend upon the specific issues you feel are negatively affecting your sport performance or areas you wish to gain more control over to enhance your sport performance. Some common issues include (but are not limited to):

Building and Maintaining Confidence – During an individual session on confidence, you will be taught how to effectively control your internal dialogue or 'self-talk' – the building block on which you build your confidence. In addition, we will discuss any specific confidence issues that may be negatively affecting your performance outcome and I will provide you with strategies and techniques that can help you cope with this problem and achieve success.
Coping with Pressure and Performance Anxiety – During an individual session on performance anxiety, you will learn more about how to recognize, prevent and treat performance anxiety. We will discuss your current situation and I will provide you with tips and strategies on how you can cope with this often debilitating problem. By examining your specific anxieties/pressures, you can learn how to control anxiety/pressure when it matters most – during competition.
Dealing with Distractions/Focusing - During an individual session on dealing with distractions, you will be introduced to the importance of concentration during competition. You will be taught tips and strategies on how to control your focus so you aren't distracted at critical moments during competition. We will discuss your specific competitive distractions so we can assess when, during competition, your distractions are more prevalent and develop specific re-focusing strategies to enhance your sport performance.
Managing Emotions to find your 'Zone' – During an individual session on managing your emotions, you will learn about the effects of both physical and cognitive processes on performance. Working together, we will attempt to understand and identify your 'zone of optimal performance' so you can learn to recognize the specific emotions, thoughts and physical feelings associated with your personal peak performance. You will learn techniques on how to get into your 'zone' prior to competition which will help you gain the one characteristic that every elite athlete possesses – consistency.

Please contact Kelly for more information or to arrange an individual sport psychology consultation.