Sports Counseling in Ellicott City, MD
Sports counseling helps athletes perform at their best — mentally and emotionally. Just as athletes train their bodies, sports counseling helps train the mind.
What Is Sports Counseling?
Sports counseling is different from traditional talk therapy because it focuses on helping athletes perform at their best, both mentally and emotionally. Sessions may include building confidence, managing performance anxiety, improving focus, recovering from injuries, coping with setbacks, or handling the pressures of competition.
While personal concerns may also be discussed, the primary goal is to strengthen the mental skills that support success in sports and everyday life. Just as athletes train their bodies, sports counseling helps train the mind.
Led by an Experienced Sports Counselor
As a former high level athlete and coach, Chris Williams, LCSW-C has a specialty providing sports psychology/counseling to youth and adult athletes and working with teams to address how mental and emotional health issues impact performance and sport enjoyment.
Chris has been in clinical practice at the Family Center since 2001, and has been a resident of Howard County since 1977. Women's sports, women's coaches, male coaches on female teams, and special athletes (e.g., wheelchair) can all benefit from sports counseling services.
How Sports Counseling Helps Athletes
Services focused on promoting the mental and emotional health of the athlete so that an athlete can experience optimal performance and enjoyment of sports. Sports counseling services can help athletes to:
Sports Counseling for Teams
Sports counseling can help teams improve cohesion and improve team performance. Sports psychology services help teams to play with greater unity, improve communication and team dynamics, and set and achieve team goals for improved performance.
Team support includes team goal-setting, team consultation and team-building techniques, consultation with coaching staff, and mental skills and character development via the CLASS program.
Sports Counseling for Clubs & Organizations
Sports counseling services can also help to address and improve the environment around youth sports — providing a healthier sport environment for youth players and families, and educating parents, players, and coaches about the importance of mental health in youth sports.
This includes educating coaches on the importance of sports psychology in player development, consultation with clubs and sports organizations, and workshops and seminars for parents, players, and coaches.
Ready to take the first step?
Reach out today — our caring team will help you find the right provider and the right support, in person or via secure telehealth.