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Key Mental Skills

The target audiences for these articles were runners, cyclists and swimmers, but the key principles can be applied to all walks of life.  These concepts can be translated and used by beginners as well as masters of a particular domain (business, performing art, sport, etc.).  Go ahead and take a look...

Goal setting  "If You Don't Know Where You're Going, You Probably Will Never Get There"
Confidence  "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..."
Hope   "The Single Best Predictor of Performance"
Imagery  "Imagine That!"
Pre-competition mental preparation  "Your Personal Recipe for Success"
Refocusing with relaxation  "Dealing with Catastrophe: After the fall"
Coping with pain  "Paying Attention to Where You Pay Attention"
Active Recovery  "Don't Be Lazy with Your Active Recovery"

Relationships

Performance and relationships "Going It Together: Why relationships are important to performance"
Helping your partner start exercising "Thinking in Stages Helps a Person Get Started"
Women athletes  "What Does a Woman Really Want?"
Parenting  "A Primer for Parents"
Power struggles  "Widen the 'Lens' to Avoid power Struggles"
Communication  "Working Out the Workout: Six Keys to Better Communication"

Health

Overtraining  "Banishing 'Never Enough'"
Recovering from Injury  "Recovering from Injury"

Special Populations

(Please note that if you have any difficulty with the formatting of these documents, email and I will be happy to send you the document as a Word file)

Surgeons  "The 'Cutting Edge':  Performance Psychology with Surgeons"
Contextual Intelligence: the Key to Consulting Success
Contextual Intelligence:  10 Key Questions for Consulting Success
Context Analysis Worksheet
Context Analysis Worksheet Example

Taking Inventory:  Are You Ready for Performance Consulting?  This is from the program presented at the 2003 AAASP Convention, a checklist of skills that an effective consultant should have.  You may find it particularly helpful if you are teaching a class in applied practice and/or consulting.

Resource List of Books and Films

Sport/Performance Psychology Resource List for Athletes, Performing Artists and Parents (December 2010)

Coaching
If you are thinking about becoming a coach, this is this is a must read to prepare for the pragmatics of setting up your coaching practice.

Who uses a sport/performance psychologist?

People from all walks of life who recognize that they have skills, and want to develop their potential to its fullest.  It may be an athlete wanting to make the Olympic team, a business person wanting a promotion, a performing artist wanting to make an audition, or a recreational athlete wanting to enjoy a regular exercise routine.  People often come seeking more confidence or focus in their efforts; others want to enjoy the process more.

We focus on the mental and emotional aspects of performance.  The process generally involves  (a) clarifying what you would like to achieve; (b)  together with you assessing your strengths and weaknesses;  (c) working with you to develop a plan to help you achieve your goals; and then (d) serving as an on-going consultant as you experiment with changes to reach your goal.   At Get Your Head In The Game we draw upon knowledge of mental skills training and sport psychology gleaned from research with Olympians, as well as 20 years of experience helping people solve problems in all aspects of life. We look not only at the individual; but also the context and relationships in which one lives.  Often these relationships are critical to reaching your goals. 

Not at all.  The US Olympic teams have long recognized the value of sport psychology and mental skills consultants for athletes of all abilities.  Contrary to popular belief, mental skills are not an automatic by-product of training, practice or experience.  Not everyone has the same capacity for developing mental skills, just as not everyone can run a 5 minute mile--- but few people develop their mental skills to the fullest.

All conversations and even the fact that we are working together are confidential and cannot be disclosed without your consent.

Just as a coach may work with several athletes at one time, there are occasions when I work with athletes that may compete against one another. In these situations my goal is for each athlete to maximize his or her physical and mental potential. Information shared by an athlete is never used to provide an advantage for another.

Our present base rates are $160 per hour for performance coaching of a limited number of amateur youth athletes and $225 per hour for executive/professional/life coaching.  Fees may be discounted as part of a long-term coaching contact.  Check with our office for more information. 

FPS Performance (a.k.a., Get Your Head In the Game) provides coaching services to improve and sustain performance rather than psychotherapy. As such, medical insurance does not cover these services. If you are a business person, some company flex and/or health spending plans may cover coaching services; check with your company to find out.

American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)

American Psychological Association (APA)

Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AAASP)

Division 47 of APA - Exercise and Sport Psychology

The Gottman Institute

US Olympic Team

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