Performance Coaching
Performance Coaching is all about winning the mind game.
The common denominator in all performance is the mind because that’s what runs the body. Performance psychology focuses on the factors that allow an individual, group, or team to achieve their goals. By engaging in how to develop and direct the power of one’s own mind, the result is peak performance in sports, business, and daily life.
As a mental performance trainer, I assist you in how to use the full power of your mind, recognize mental errors, and how to correct them in order to improve sports performance. It’s about strengthening existing mental skills and learning new ones. It’s about removing barriers that limit performance and supporting the development of your full potential.
About Performance Coaching
Performance Coaching is not about trying to be perfect in what you do, but about fulfilling your potential, handling challenges with confidence, and removing barriers that limit performance. I believe that by letting the mental side of your game enhance the physical side of your performance, you will achieve more and demonstrate consistent success. This is where the performance coaching side of my work, Mind Empowered Performance Academy, LLC, comes in.
The National Golf Foundation conducted a study in 2000 that found golfers who used some form of sport psychology had an average handicap of four shots lower than those who didn’t.
As an avid golfer, this statistic was fascinating to me. If there were that many golfers struggling to achieve their peak performance, imagine how many other athletes throughout the sports world were suffering from similar performance blockages, or simply not fulfilling their potential.
Any kind of activity that can be categorized as a performance is subject to blockages, anxiety, or limitations. That’s why business professionals and individuals who “perform” have successfully used mental performance training to overcome their performance challenges. Most successful people have advisors they consult with, and most top athletes have worked in some form with a psychological expert to assure peak performance. Mental Performance Training is perfect for any business executive, performing artist, athlete, or business professional who wants support with what they do.
Mind Empowered Performance Academy offers a variety of approaches and services to help athletes of all ages, business professionals, and individuals learn proficiency in effective mental skills. The skills we work to develop will be based on individual aptitudes, and your ability to access all the power of the mind to harness your full potential and achieve your goals.
Services include mental performance assessments, performance improvement goals and plans, mental skills and relaxation training, mental strategy, performance enhancement techniques, distraction control and focus, consultation, and public speaking.
Philosophy & Approach
Our first performance was at birth and has continued since then as part of daily life. We encounter performance situations daily, some are more important than others.
Most individuals are born with the same fundamental resources to perform most tasks, including a significant capacity to adapt in response to life events. Some individuals have more natural ability in certain areas than others. The development of our birth resources is significantly impacted by our experiences, thus, our individual performance is a result of the relationship between natural-born resources and lived experiences.
We all have the same general physiological makeup (body, brain, etc.). The capacity for human performance ability is based on the interwoven elements of physiology or heredity, genetic variation, and development experiences. We all have different developmental experiences, learning opportunities, and self-taught strategies that influence our performance. They are tightly interwoven parameters that result in individual tendencies or aptitudes, performance, and individual performance potential.
Most people do not fully understand the amazing power of their own mind. We can impact desired behavioral changes and influence skill development in a variety of ways.
In my practice, I focus on building upon existing strengths and identifying and resolving blockages that impede performance. I then help my clients acknowledge these blockages and develop realistic strategies for change and improvement.
The main techniques I use to facilitate desired changes are Cognitive Behavioral Techniques, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Hypnosis. While there are additional techniques we could use, the approach we take in achieving your desired goals will depend on you and what you need.
I encourage you to learn more about each form of therapy so you will be better informed about the work we will do together.
Fees
- Free 15-minute initial phone consultation.
- Mental Performance Assessment: $250 (Includes written summary and recommendations.)
- Mental Performance Assessment: $180 (Verbal report and feedback)
- 45-50-minute private session: $145.
- 50-minute small group session: $150. (2 – 4 people)
- 90-minute small group session: $225. (2 – 4 people)
- Private or small group session at your location: $100-$350 (Depending on session length and travel time required.)
For all Clinics, workshops, and speaking engagements at your location, fees vary depending on content, group size, and time involved. Please contact me for details.
For individuals with financial limitations, I offer a sliding scale of $100-$140. Call for details.
General office hours:
8:00 a.m. — 6:00 p.m.
Monday — Thursday.
Both video conference and in-person meetings are available.
Services at your location or outside of the above hours are available by arrangement seven days a week. Fee schedules for offsite and atypical hours are individually determined.
Bundled Session Discounts
- Five 45-50-minute private sessions: $675 (paid in advance as a package)
- Three 45-50-minute private sessions: $405 (paid in advance as a package)
Some mental performance training services may qualify as behavioral health issues and your health insurance benefit may cover some of the services. I can bill most insurance so check with your insurance company to see if behavioral health is covered as an outpatient mental health benefit.
When insurance is billed, discounts and sliding fee scales do not apply.
Please call me at 503-944-5032 if you have questions about insurance coverage.
Performance Coaching FAQs
Is Sport Psychology for “problem” athletes only?
No. Many people wrongly think that all sport psychology professionals work with athletes who have psychological problems. Assistance from sport psychology professionals involves addressing a wide range of performance enhancement development issues, in addition to performance fears and blocks. You can have problems with your performance and not be a “problem” athlete.
What kinds of things do business professionals get help with?
Most business professionals are routinely in high-pressure situations regarding decision-making, addressing employee problems, or public speaking. Mental performance training can assist in all these areas, as well as provide skill development to increase productivity, efficiency, and minimize stress.
Are the psychological techniques you teach for elite training only?
Absolutely not. The mental skills I teach are for all athletes. I work with athletes of all levels and ages. Whether you’re a competitive athlete or just out for recreational activity, I can assist you in furthering your skill and enjoyment of your sport.
Does your work just provide a “quick fix” solution?
Some people still believe that sport psychology is hocus-pocus, having nothing positive to offer. However, there is substantial scholarly research, as well as reports from athletes and coaches, showing that our psychological techniques do in fact enhance performance.
What is the goal of your workshops and clinics?
The ultimate goal of the trainings is to help you create a balanced and quiet mind to support your overall performance ability. I do this by developing and maximizing fundamental mental and physical competencies in athletes. Together we’ll help you establish performance-supportive consistency between the fundamental mental and physical actions in sport that will empower your performance and ability to achieve your goals.
What is the benefit of Individual Instruction over group Instruction?
In individual instruction, the work is tailored to your specific needs and goals. Group instruction is a good way to work with a team, playing partner, or get some of the basic instruction and skills at a lower cost.
Can hypnosis or self-hypnosis be beneficial?
Hypnosis and self-hypnosis can be beneficial to all people. Each of us has a different level of natural hypnotic talent. Hypnosis is optimally effective when the person is highly motivated to overcome a problem, and when the hypnotherapist is well-trained in both hypnosis and general considerations related to the particular problem.
How do I know who is well-trained in hypnosis?
Look for certification information. Certification programs vary and ASCH and SECH both have clear standards for certification in Hypnosis. Their certifications ensure that the clinician has met the education qualifications and required training in clinical hypnosis and ongoing education. Not all certifications are created equal because it is not legally regulated in all states. Do your research and make sure that your clinician is properly certified and licensed.
What about visualizing or imagining performance?
Imagining or visualizing performance can be very effective. It is commonly mentioned in performance because even people without psychological training can talk about it. Our minds seem to be capable of organizing efficiently through images. Imagery and metaphor are significant elements of hypnosis and their use can be even more effective when you are trained in how to get the most benefit out of them. Psychologically, there is a difference between visualizing and imagining. People vary in their natural ability to visualize, but imagination can be developed.