How Does Sports Psychology Coaching Work?

Sports Psychology CoachWhat’s the process you should expect when you engage in a one-on-one sports psychology or mental training program with Dr. Patrick Cohn or Jaki Hitzelberger at Peak Performance Sports?

In this article, we provide some details about the mental training process, the procedures, and what you can expect when working with a mental game coach at Peak Performance Sports.

Please note that our process for mental training can change at any time. However, this is a snapshot of the procedure we use at the start of 2013.

What’s the Best Program for You?

We begin by discussing your needs to decide on the best mental training program for your situation. Many factors go into this decision including: your sport, where you are in the season, and if you are preparing for a special competition. Please call us to discuss the options at 888-742-7225. Once we decide on the best mental training program for you, and you return our mental coaching forms, we’re ready to begin and will set a time and day to conduct the first session.

Mental Game Assessment

We ask all our athletes to complete a mental game assessment called the Athlete’s Mental Aptitude Profile (AMAP), which we can send to you via email. Once we have your mental game assessment (AMAP) and student intake forms in our office, you are ready to get started on improving your mental game and performance. Keep in mind that we’ll need your student forms and AMAP assessment at least 24 hour prior to your first session so we have time to review your assessment and decide on a plan of action. We also ask you to provide any game statistics and/or background details about your sport.

Where do the Sessions Take Place?

The mental training session can take place in our office or from anywhere in the world. For athletes living in Florida, we meet with you in our office in Windermere, near Disney in Orlando. Please contact us for directions to our office. However, with web and video technology today, we can easily meet with athletes from all over the world to conduct the sports psychology sessions. We use both Skype and Goto Meeting technology to conduct video-conferencing sessions with our athletes. And if you prefer, we can do your mental training program via phone. Both phone and Skype session work well for us and our athletes.

Length of Sports Psychology Sessions

Unless you enrolled in a Gold or Onsite sports psychology coaching program with us, we usually meet weekly for 45 minutes per session–in person, via phone, or on Skype. The first session may take longer to complete because we like to discuss what we obtained from your mental game assessment or AMAP. If you have to cancel or reschedule, please call or email us at least one hour prior to the session to reschedule. All programs are based on a monthly schedule. Please contact us for the details of the mental training programs.

Homework and Preparation for Each Session

At the start of each session, please be prepared to discuss (1) two areas of your mental game you are doing well with and (2) two areas of your mental game you would like to improve. It’s also helpful if you can provide any statistics you have from previous competitions. To improve your success with mental coaching, we’ll ask you to complete an exercise, workbook, worksheet, or reading assignment between coaching sessions. Today, we ask you to complete our exclusive Athlete’s Mental Edge Workbooks between sessions. Please email (or send by fax) your assignment at least two hours prior your schedules session.

Communication with Coaches and Parents

Improving your mental game is a “team” effort. If you would like us to speak with a coach, instructor, or parent, please give us your approval and provide their contact information. We want to ensure that everyone on your performance team is on the same page and can help us influence a strong mental game. We encourage parents to join the mental training sessions.

Sports Psychology Coaching as Education

Sports Psychology or mental game coaching is an educational program for the purpose of performance enhancement in sports or careers. Please note that we do not do psychotherapy, psychological therapy, or psychoanalysis. Nor do we prescribe medicines. During mental coaching, you’ll learn how to improve your mental game skills via sports psychology coaching so you can improve performance and consistency.

Please call us today at 888-742-7225 to schedule your free 15-minute introductory session or to request our sport psychology coaching programs.

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