Psychotherapy for Athletes.
Psychotherapy for athletes is a central focus of my practice. When young athletes are immersed in high-performance environments, there is often an increased risk of self-worth becoming tied to results, statistics, or external validation. Over time, this can lead to an identity that is overly dependent on performance, increasing vulnerability to performance anxiety, diminished confidence, harsh self-criticism, burnout, and a loss of enjoyment both within and outside of sport. In some cases, athletes may begin to consider stepping away altogether.
Psychotherapy for athletes is not coaching or mental performance training.
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Psychotherapy provides a space to explore and understand the underlying psychological patterns that contribute to anxiety, confidence challenges, and performance-related distress. Rather than relying on coping tools as short-term fixes, the focus is on developing emotional awareness and more adaptive ways of responding to internal experiences. This approach supports long-term psychological wellbeing, and a healthier, more sustainable relationship with sport.
Who I Support
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Athletes who feel pressure to perform perfectly
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Athletes who struggle with anxiety, fear of mistakes or self-doubt
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Athletes navigating high expectations from coaches or themselves
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Athletes who notice emotional stress impacting their performance and school life
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Athletes who want a safe space to talk about what they are feeling, without judgment
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Athletes dealing with perfectionism or harsh self-criticism
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Athletes managing transitions such as new teams, new levels or other changes.
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Athletes dealing with injury, setbacks or uncertainty
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Athletes who feel misunderstood or struggle with comparison.
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Athletes who are struggling in life outside of sport and need support
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Athletes who feel stuck, discouraged or uncertain about continuing in their sport
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How I Work With Athletes
My approach is grounded in clinical psychotherapy and a deep understanding of the competitive sport environment. As both a registered psychotherapist and a former Division I athlete, I am familiar with the emotional, mental and relational demands that young athletes face. This dual perspective allows me to support athletes in ways that extend beyond mental performance coaching.
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The work is not about removing thoughts or emotions for the sake of performance. Many of these reactions come from protective patterns within the nervous system that are designed to reduce perceived risk or disappointment. Understanding these processes requires a clinical approach grounded in psychology and nervous system functioning. Psychotherapy helps athletes understand the purpose of these responses, expand their awareness and build more adaptive ways of responding.
Sessions are paced according to the athlete’s readiness and emotional capacity, and each athlete’s therapeutic work is tailored to their goals and developmental stage.
Supporting Athletes Through Psychotherapy.
Psychotherapists vs Mental Performance Coaches vs Sport Psychologists
Confusion often arises when sport psychology terminology is used broadly in marketing by psychotherapists or mental performance coaches. This can lead members of the public to assume a provider is a sport psychologist, a role with a distinct scope of practice.
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In Ontario, sport psychologist is not a separate regulated specialty. However, psychologist is a protected professional title. Only individuals registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario may use the title psychologist.
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While there can be overlap in the topics discussed, these roles differ significantly in regulation, scope of practice, and purpose. Understanding these distinctions helps ensure athletes receive the type of support that best fits their needs and that expectations are clear from the outset.
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Mental Performance Coaches:
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Mental performance coaches focus on performance-related skills and strategies designed to support consistency and readiness in competitive environments. This work may include performance routines, goal setting, and coping tools for competition-related stress.
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Mental performance coaches are not regulated mental health professionals in Ontario and do not provide psychotherapy. Their role does not include conducting psychological assessments, diagnosing mental health conditions, or treating mental health concerns,
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Sport Psychologists:
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In Ontario, psychologist is a protected professional title. Only individuals registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario may legally use the title psychologist, including sport psychologist, and conduct assessments for diagnostic purposes.
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Sport psychology services typically focus on performance enhancement, using mental skills training such as attentional control, arousal regulation, and other performance-focused strategies.
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This performance-first focus is a key distinction between sport psychology services and psychotherapy.
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Registered Psychotherapists:
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As a registered psychotherapist, I am regulated by the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario.
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Psychotherapy is a regulated mental health service focused on understanding and treating emotional, psychological, and relational difficulties through a therapeutic relationship. It supports psychological wellbeing and adaptive functioning, rather than performance enhancement or skill coaching.
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The goal of psychotherapy is not simply to improve performance, but to understand and shift the underlying drivers of stress so athletes can develop a healthier, more sustainable relationship with both their sport and themselves, which often supports improved performance over time.
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Why This Distinction Matters
This distinction is not only practical but ethical. As a regulated mental health professional, I am required to work within clinical scope and provide treatment that aligns with psychotherapy standards, not coaching or performance instruction.
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This matters because the challenges athletes bring into therapy often extend well beyond skills or performance factors.
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Emotional struggles require clinical support. Anxiety, confidence challenges, perfectionism and fear of mistakes involve psychological processes that typically cannot be addressed through coaching or mental skills training.
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Many athlete concerns start below the surface. Athletes often appear confident and motivated while privately carrying pressure, stress or self-doubt.
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Coaching tools cannot replace therapeutic processing. Strategies may help in the moment, but they may not resolve the deeper patterns that keep athletes stuck.
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Therapy supports the whole person. Athletes need space to explore the experiences, beliefs and reactions that influence their confidence and wellbeing, not just performance strategies.
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Clarifying these differences helps ensure athletes receive services that align with their needs, that expectations are clear, and that care is provided within appropriate ethical and professional standards.
The Tools We Might Use
Over the years, I have created a range of athlete resources based on psychotherapy approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Somatic Psychotherapy, Emotion Focused Therapy and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy.
Many of these tools were first developed through my Mindset Training Program and now support athletes in a more personalized, flexible way. You can explore sample mindset tools, visuals and reflection exercises on my Resources page (coming soon!).​
A Note About the Evolution of My Approach
Earlier in my practice, I offered a structured five-session Mindset Training Program. It was thoughtful and full of meaningful concepts, but over time I recognized that real therapeutic change does not follow a predetermined path.
Growth comes from attunement and presence, and from exploring what is actually unfolding for an athlete, not from following a structured program or teaching a set of coping skills.
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The program has been retired as a service, yet the strongest pieces of it remain part of the therapeutic process. The visuals, resets, reframes and reflection tools now support athletes in a way that is more personal, flexible and aligned with psychotherapy.
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This shift reflects my evolution as a psychotherapist and my commitment to creating a space that honours the full complexity of athletes as human beings, not performers to be optimized.
Get in Touch for a Free Consultation
Schedule a 15-minute phone call
I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation to learn more about what you’re looking for and how I can help. Whether you’re reaching out for yourself or on behalf of your teen, this is a chance to connect, ask questions, and take the first step toward meaningful support.