Therapy for Student-Athletes

As a former athlete/competitor, coach, and now therapist, I understand the nuances of growing up as a student-athlete today and particularly enjoy working with high school and college-aged athletes.

Oftentimes, athletes are especially excited and eager to get started and find solutions for the challenges they are facing within their sport. This is completely understandable and part of being an athlete– you are ready to improve and address this challenge just like the physical ones within your sport! And we also need to slow down the process to identify the parts of your sport you enjoy, along with the parts that are particularly challenging for you right now. We need to understand all aspects of your life from a holistic perspective, to understand the challenges you have. Just like in your sport, you can’t rush the process!

Many athletes become specialized in one sport from a young age, which adds to the pressure to succeed and the potential over identification with the sport they play. One of the aspects of sport performance therapy is identifying how an athlete’s sport has helped shape them into who they are and provided skills that are adapted and used in other aspects of life.

We also identify aspects of who you are and strengths you have outside of your sport. For many athletes, there is a lot riding on succeeding in sport, and that makes sense. I’m not going to deny that there is a lot that comes from being successful at your sport. But I do believe that happy athletes are successful ones, and it’s hard to be happy when you are struggling with the pressure of succeeding and performing athletically. 

The demands of being an athlete are intense. Burnout can be physical or mental, and can be caused by multiple variables such as lacking purpose behind training, long periods of intense training, feeling a lack of progress towards one’s athletic goals, and more.

Injured athletes may feel especially lonely during a time where they are navigating how to recover from injury. Often injuries prevent participation in sport and isolate them from their teammates and their identity within their sport. Together we will create supports to help an injured athlete through their recovery process and stay motivated through the process.

Student athletes in particular often have the challenge of all-or-nothing thinking. If they do not accomplish their ultimate goal, they feel like they have failed. They often miss the smaller accomplishments that were made throughout the period of time. In therapy we’ll acknowledge and validate the disappointment, and highlight the accomplishments from the process.

We as a society and sport-oriented people are always thinking of the next goal or challenge to address. Therapy helps you identify the parts of your sport you enjoy so that you remember why you practice and compete!

Sometimes athletes are afraid to set goals, or don’t know how to do this in a way that works for them. I often hear athletes say, “I want to get better.” But they haven’t quite flushed out what that means yet and how to get there. Many athletes work hard at practice, but they aren’t reflecting on the smaller goals and measures of success before they get to the big one. This thinking can lead to a disappointing experience of leaving smaller successes unrecognized, which could have helped build their confidence and self esteem, to then be even more disappointed if they fall short of their End goal.