PSYCHOTHERAPY FOR
ATHLETES & PERFORMERS
In person in Whitby & Ajax, Ontario.
Virtual all across Ontario.
When so much of your identity is connected to how you perform, the pressure can follow you far beyond the field, stage, rink, gym, studio, or competition.
Mindful Mental Health provides individualized psychotherapy for athletes and performers navigating anxiety, perfectionism, confidence, pressure, setbacks, identity, and the mental demands that come with performance.
You don't have to be a professional athlete or performer to benefit from support.
When Something You Love
Starts Feeling Heavy
Competition and performance can be incredibly rewarding.
They can also come with expectations that other people don't always see.
You may love what you do while simultaneously feeling overwhelmed by the pressure surrounding it.
Therapy provides a space where you can talk openly about those experiences without being told to simply work harder, think positively, or "get out of your head."
What We Can Support You With
The pressures of sport and performance can affect confidence, identity, motivation, and mental health both during and outside of competition.
Therapy can provide a space to work through performance anxiety, perfectionism, fear of failure, burnout, injury recovery, self-doubt, and the emotional demands that come with striving to perform at a high level.
Performance Anxiety
Fear of Failure
Identity Outside of Performance
Perfectionism
Injury & Recovery
Transitions & Retirement
Confidence & Self-Doubt
Burnout
Mindset Improvement
Meet Your Therapist
Benjamin Coates
Registered Psychotherapist trained in EMDR
Ben works with teens, adults, and athletes experiencing anxiety, perfectionism, difficult life experiences, and other mental health concerns.
His approach focuses on understanding you as an individual rather than applying a one-size-fits-all treatment plan. Together, you can identify the patterns or experiences that are keeping you stuck and develop a treatment approach that aligns with your goals.
Support Beyond The Sport
Therapy for Athletes
Athletes can experience unique pressures surrounding competition, coaches, teammates, scholarships, playing time, injury, expectations, and future opportunities. And sometimes the hardest part isn't the competition itself. It's what happens afterward. Replaying mistakes. Comparing yourself to teammates. Losing confidence. Feeling like your worth depends on your statistics or performance. Becoming anxious before something you used to enjoy.
Therapy can help you understand those patterns and develop strategies that work both within and outside of sport.
Therapy for Performers
Musicians, dancers, actors, public speakers and other performers can face many of the same psychological demands as athletes. Auditions, evaluations, criticism, comparison, visibility, perfectionism and unpredictable outcomes can create enormous pressure.Therapy can help you manage performance anxiety while also addressing the emotional experiences underneath it.
You Are More Than Your Performance
There is nothing wrong with caring deeply about succeeding. Therapy isn't about taking away your ambition. It's about helping you pursue what matters to you without your mental health, confidence, or sense of self being completely determined by the outcome.
FAQS
Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions! Please reach out if you have additional questions and a member of our team would be happy to assist you.
Do I Have to Be an Elite Athlete?
Absolutely not. You might compete professionally, represent a university or college, participate in competitive youth sports, dance several nights per week, perform recreationally, or simply care deeply about improving at something you love. The level you compete or perform at doesn't determine whether the pressure you're experiencing is real.
Is this the same as sport psychology?
Psychotherapy and sport psychology can overlap, but they are not always the same service.
Psychotherapy can address both performance-related concerns and broader mental health issues such as anxiety, self-esteem, perfectionism, stress, relationships, identity, or difficult life experiences.
Can therapy actually help with performance anxiety?
Therapy can help athletes and performers better understand the thoughts, emotions, physical reactions, and behavioural patterns that show up under pressure. Treatment may involve strategies for managing anxiety, increasing emotional regulation, challenging unhelpful thinking patterns, and building confidence.
What if my confidence dropped after a bad game or performance?
A difficult performance, mistake, injury, or setback can sometimes have a much larger emotional impact than people expect. Therapy can help you process what happened, challenge negative conclusions about yourself, and gradually rebuild confidence.
Can you help athletes recovering from injury?
Therapy can support the emotional side of injury and recovery. Athletes may experience frustration, anxiety, grief, loss of identity, fear of reinjury, uncertainty about returning, or pressure to recover quickly. Psychotherapy can provide a space to work through those experiences alongside your physical rehabilitation.
What if my issue has nothing to do with my sport or performance?
That is completely okay. Athletes and performers are people first. Therapy can address relationships, family concerns, anxiety, depression, stress, identity, life transitions, self-esteem, or anything else affecting your well-being.
Address
1450 Hopkins St.
Unit 105-106
Whitby, Ontario
Phone
289-928-8329
