Performance Consulting and Psychological Skills Training

Performance consulting and psychological skills training services provide mental skills training to student-athletes. We aim to help student-athletes achieve their highest academic, athletic and personal aspirations. Just as physical and mental health go hand in hand, so too do physical and mental performance. Services are primarily provided by Jeanne Williamson, MSW, LICSW

Team Consultation
Group or team meetings can enhance trust among teammates, help set goals, improve communication, provide education, reduce conflict, or develop leadership skills. At times, a coach may want an "objective person" to help work through difficult team dynamics or to teach mental skills that help support overall performance and wellbeing. Some common workshops include sleep, communication, managing negative thoughts, and more.

Privacy for Team Work
It can be useful to share themes discussed during team sessions with coaching staff so they can reinforce psychological skills learned during practice and competition. Your coaching staff will also be present at times to learn more about the program and what the team is learning and implementing so they can support this work. Outside of this, information from the team or any individual sessions you have will be kept confidential. Although it is difficult to ensure all teammates respect confidentiality, we ask that you respect the privacy of your teammates and not share information from your team’s work without everyone’s permission.

If a mental skills training program is developed for your team, you may be asked to fill out a program evaluation to determine the effectiveness of the intervention/s. General findings from the evaluation will be shared with coaches and other stakeholders (e.g., athletic department).

Individual Consultation
Jeanne Williamson also provides individual performance consultation. Individual performance consulting and support consists of an initial meeting to assess the best approach and follow up meetings are based on each individual’s needs. Whether you are seeking to maximize an already high level of performance or want to improve, these meetings provide you with the opportunity to discuss your situation in more depth and receive individualized solutions. Common interventions include managing performance anxiety, relaxation strategies, visualization, building confidence and resilience, goal setting, self talk, concentration and focus.

Privacy for Individual Work
When individuals meet with a clinician, they are entitled to privacy (what information is shared or withheld), confidentiality (the obligation to respect the client’s privacy), and security of information (regarding access to information).

All information discussed in individual performance consulting will remain confidential. Jeanne sometimes finds it useful to share themes discussed in performance consultation sessions with coaching staff so they can reinforce psychological skills learned during practice and competition or so that it can be fully tailored with the expertise of your specific sport. However, she will discuss this with you and you can together assess whether a release of information to do this would be appropriate or helpful. She will not share any information without a release of information or discussing this with you.

There are legal and ethical exceptions to confidentiality that require action:
1. When there is clear and present danger to harm yourself or another person;
2. In the case of child abuse or abuse of a vulnerable adult; and
3. In the event of a court-order for information.

In these situations, involving others to ensure safety, which may include your athletic trainer, team physician, and/or coach(es) may be necessary.

Additional Resources
NCAA Mind, Body, Sport
This manual is a great, user-friendly resource that covers general mental health issues among collegiate student-athletes and provides a list of common signs & symptoms, strategies to help a student-athlete in need and ways you can help.

Go to: http://www.ncaa.org/sport-science-institute/mental-health
Go to: http://www.ncaa.org/sport-science-institute/supporting-student-athlete-mental-wellness