Stanford Athletics

Individual services provide an opportunity to maximize personal strengths, explore factors that may be preventing student athletes from reaching their potential athletically, academically or personally, and developing skills to thrive in life. Individual services are confidential. Presenting concerns occur across a continuum including, but not limited to:

Appointments

What to Expect:

The initial consultation typically lasts about an hour and includes time for discussing current concerns, relevant history, and goals. Appointment times and length are flexible. Follow-up sessions typically last 45 minutes and occur once every week or two. Performance psychology consultation also may include a brief talk at practice or in passing. All sessions focus on discussing goals, strategies, and skill development to address concerns. 

Student-athletes are encouraged to provide feedback to sport psychology and work collaboratively to make sure that individual services are meeting their needs.

Confidentiality:

Feelings of trust and safety are critical for personal growth and relationship building.  Therefore, confidentiality is taken quite seriously. ALL conversations and correspondence between you, the student-athlete, and your psychologist remain confidential. Any information discussed will not be shared with coaches, sports information, media, or others without your written consent or in instances where disclosure is required by law.

Cost:

Services are provided free of charge and to varsity student-athletes who are currently enrolled as Stanford student-athletes. If you receive a bill for services, please bring to the Sports Medicine Clinic and ask for Charlene Dow, the insurance specialist. 

Team sessions are designed to address the unique needs of the participating team and to provide memorable active learning experiences to build team unity, reinforce team mission and vision, clarify team goals, roles, and responsibilities, and teach mental skills to improve team and individual performance. Team consultations are ideally created in collaboration with coaches and staff. Sample topics include, but are not limited to:

• What is Sport Psychology?
• Achieving a championship mindset
• Maintaining focus and composure
• Building confidence
• Goal Achievement
• Optimizing self-talk
• Effective communication
• Mindfulness/Staying present
• Improving team dynamics
• Effective imagery and visualization
• Leadership Development
• Stress Management

Staff consultation is available for any DAPER staff or campus partner with a sport psychologist. While we provide individual counseling/psychotherapy to varsity student-athletes, we frequently consult with coaches, administrators, athletic trainers, physical therapists, physicians, and sports performance and nutrition staff. We strive to collaborate with others to support DAPER staff, coaches, teams, and student-athletes to thrive and succeed at Stanford. Topics include, but are not limited to, how to respond to a challenging situation, improving team dynamics, enhancing leadership, or effective communication.

Stanford Sport Psychology team members engage in outreach and consultation to student-athletes, coaches, and staff using targeted prevention and early intervention strategies. These strategies may include, but are not limited to, providing education, programs, workshops, presentations, or general consultation to student-athletes and staff based on relevant needs (e.g. pre-/post-surgery consults, Performance & Resilience series, mental health screenings and education, transition in/out of sport, etc.).