A confidential place to work through the pressure, focus, confidence, and transitions that come with sport. Psychologists registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). Registered Provisional Psychologists practise under the supervision of a senior registered psychologist. In-person sessions at five locations in Edmonton and St. Albert. Virtual sessions available across Alberta.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether Sports Performance Enhancement Counselling Is Right for You

You may not be sure whether what is happening in your sport is a real problem, or just something you are supposed to push through on your own. Maybe you think counselling is only for elite athletes. Maybe you have told yourself that every athlete has slumps, and that talking to someone about yours would be making too much of it.

Still, some patterns keep showing up. You might play freely in practice, then feel your body tighten the moment it counts. You might replay one mistake for days after everyone else has moved on. Or the sport you used to love has started to feel like a job you dread showing up for.

Reactions like these are common in people who care about something they have trained hard for. They reflect how the mind and body respond to pressure, expectations, and uncertainty. They do not mean you are weak, that you are not cut out for your sport, or that something is wrong with you.

If you are trying to work out whether talking with someone could help, this page explains what sports performance counselling looks like here, what the research does and does not show, and how to begin. You may be reading on behalf of a child, a teammate, or a partner. That is a reasonable place to start too.

Who We Help

This service may be a good fit for:

• Athletes in recreational, school, community, university, competitive, or high-performance sport
• People who feel nerves, pressure, or self-doubt before or during competition
• Athletes who want to work on focus, routines, motivation, or self-talk
• People adjusting to an injury, time away from sport, or a return to play, alongside the medical care they receive elsewhere
• Athletes facing transitions such as moving up a level, changing teams, or stepping away from sport
• People trying to balance sport with school, work, relationships, and rest
• Young athletes, with parents or caregivers involved in a way that suits the young person's age
• Parents, partners, or coaches gathering information about how to support an athlete

This service may not be the right fit for:

• Situations where someone is in immediate danger or crisis. Please use the crisis resources below.
• Forensic or legal needs, such as court-related reports. These are outside this counselling service. Psychological assessments are a separate service.
• Medical diagnosis, injury treatment, physiotherapy, nutrition plans, or clearance to return to sport. These belong with your physician and other health providers.
• Technical coaching, tactical planning, or team-selection decisions.

Crisis Guidance

Counselling is not set up to respond to emergencies. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.

• 911 for immediate danger
• Alberta Mental Health Help Line: 1-877-303-2642 (24/7)
• 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline: call or text 988 (24/7)
• Kids Help Phone and Crisis Text Line: text CONNECT to 686868 (24/7)

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service.

What Sports Performance Enhancement Counselling Is

Sports performance enhancement counselling is a confidential, collaborative space to look at the psychological and practical factors that shape your experience in sport. Sessions may focus on pressure and expectations, concentration and preparation routines, confidence and self-talk, or communication with coaches and family. The work is tailored to your goals and context, and it can shift as your season, role, or priorities change. You can also read about the clinic's broader approach to sports psychology.

Sport and mental health are closely linked. A Canadian coach resource developed through a CAMH-led project with Special Olympics Canada treats mental and physical health as two parts of athlete well-being. It encourages athletes to raise stress, anxiety, and feeling down with healthcare providers, not only injuries and pain (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health [CAMH], 2025).

What this service is not:

• It is not a legal service, an investigative process, or crisis intervention.
• It does not include a psychological assessment. Assessments are offered as a separate service.
• It does not replace medical assessment, injury rehabilitation, physiotherapy, nutritional care, technical coaching, or team-selection decisions.
• It does not assume you have a diagnosis, or that a hard stretch in sport means something is wrong with you.

You set the pace, not your therapist. Nobody will push you to talk about something before you are ready. Confidentiality and its limits are explained at your first session and covered in more detail below. Each clinician works within their professional scope of practice and can talk with you about other supports if a concern falls outside it.

Signs Performance Pressure May Be Affecting You

Pressure in sport does not always look like nerves. Some people notice it in their thinking, some in their body, and some in their relationships. You might recognize a few of these:

• Feeling sharp in practice but tight, hesitant, or not like yourself in games
• Replaying mistakes, losses, or a coach's comments long after they happen
• Trouble sleeping or eating normally before big events
• Harsh self-talk that gets louder when things are not going well
• Losing enjoyment in a sport you used to look forward to
• Pulling back from teammates, or feeling tense around coaches or family after competitions
• Feeling lost, restless, or unsure who you are while injured or away from sport
• Struggling to keep sport, school, work, and rest in balance
• Worrying that one performance will decide your whole future in the sport

Having some of these experiences does not mean something is permanently wrong. They are common reactions to caring about an outcome, training hard, and performing in front of other people. Structured support can give you a place to understand these patterns and decide what you want to do about them.

How Treatment Works Here

• Find your therapist. Use the Match with a Therapist tool or browse profiles on the Our Therapists page. If you would like help choosing, the admin team can talk through options with you at 780-904-4880.
• Book your first session. You can book through the online booking system. Your first appointment covers confidentiality, consent, and what you hope to get from counselling. It is also a chance to ask questions and get a sense of whether the fit feels right.
• Build your plan together. You and your therapist decide what to focus on. That might be an upcoming competition, a pattern that keeps repeating, or a bigger change like coming back from injury. The plan reflects your goals rather than a standard formula.
• Ongoing sessions. Sessions are 50 minutes. Many people meet weekly or every two weeks, and the schedule can be adjusted as your needs change.
• Progress check-ins. Your therapist will review with you, regularly, how things are going. If your goals change, the plan changes with them.

There is no fixed number of sessions. Counselling is collaborative, and your view of what is helping matters at every stage. The Getting Started with Therapy page walks through the process in more detail.

Evidence and Approaches

Psychological approaches to sport performance have been studied for decades, but the research is less settled than many people expect. A systematic review and meta-analysis of psychological interventions for competitive athletes described their effect on actual performance as unclear, despite that long research history ("Effects of Psychological Interventions," n.d.). The three approaches below were among those the review examined. Your therapist may draw on them, or on other approaches, depending on your goals.

Psychological Skills Training

What it helps with: This approach may suit athletes who want a structured way to work on preparation, focus, and how they respond to pressure during competition.

Evidence summary: The review found that multimodal psychological skills training, which combines several mental skills in one program, was associated with better performance than control conditions in pooled studies ("Effects of Psychological Interventions," n.d.). When non-randomized trials and self-rated performance measures were removed, this result was no longer statistically significant.

Limitations: The reviewers described the effect as not stable and called for more rigorous randomized trials. Results may not apply equally across sports, ages, or competition levels.

Mindfulness- and Acceptance-Based Approaches

What it helps with: These approaches may suit people who want to practise noticing pressure, doubt, or distracting thoughts without letting them run the performance.

Evidence summary: In the same review, mindfulness- and acceptance-based approaches were associated with better performance than control conditions when studies were pooled ("Effects of Psychological Interventions," n.d.). This finding also lost statistical significance once non-randomized trials and self-rated outcomes were set aside.

Limitations: Only a portion of the studies the reviewers identified could be combined in their analyses. Individual responses to mindfulness-based work vary.

The clinic has separate pages on mindfulness therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy.

Imagery

What it helps with: Imagery, sometimes called mental rehearsal, may be useful for people who want to prepare by picturing skills, routines, or game situations in detail.

Evidence summary: Pooled studies in the review found that imagery was associated with better performance than control conditions ("Effects of Psychological Interventions," n.d.). As with the other approaches, the result did not remain statistically significant in the reviewers' stricter sensitivity analyses.

Limitations: The research base combines different study designs and performance measures, which makes firm conclusions difficult. What works for one athlete may not work for another.

What Results to Expect

Progress in sport rarely moves in a straight line, and counselling is similar. Some people notice shifts within months. Others benefit from longer-term work, for example through a full season, an injury, or a move away from competitive sport.

Many things can shape how counselling goes, including:

• what brought you in, and how long it has been going on
• your current training load, health, and life outside sport
• your relationships with coaches, teammates, and family
• the fit between you and your therapist

No form of counselling can guarantee better results, selection, confidence, or recovery. Performance also depends on training, health, environment, and opportunity, and much of that sits outside the therapy room. If the fit with your therapist does not feel right, you can change therapists or try a different approach at any point.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What you share in counselling is confidential. Psychologists at Wholesome Psychology are regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) and follow the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists. Depending on the setting, your personal and health information is handled under Alberta's Health Information Act (HIA) and Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA).

In sport, privacy often has an extra layer. Information is not shared with coaches, teams, schools, family members, or partners without your consent, except where disclosure is required or permitted by law or professional obligations. If involving someone else could help, such as a coach or physician, you and your therapist can talk through what would be shared, and why, before anything happens.

There are legal limits to confidentiality. Your therapist may need to share information without your consent when:

• there is a risk of serious harm to you or to someone else
• a child may be experiencing abuse or neglect (mandatory reporting under Alberta law)
• a court orders the release of records

Your clinician will explain these limits clearly during your first session. You are welcome to ask questions about privacy before you share anything personal. For athletes under 18, how parent or guardian involvement works is discussed in a way that suits the young person's age and the consent rules that apply.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to go over every bad game or setback in detail?

No. You decide how much to share and when. Some people want to talk through a specific moment, like a loss or an injury. Others would rather focus on what is happening now, such as pre-game nerves or how they talk to themselves during play. Your therapist will follow your lead and check in with you about pace.

Is what I share kept private, including from my coach or team?

Yes, within some legal limits. Information is not shared with coaches, teams, schools, or family without your consent, except where the law or professional obligations require it, such as a risk of serious harm or a concern about a child's safety. The Confidentiality and Privacy section explains this in more detail.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no set number. Some people come in around a specific event or concern and attend for a shorter stretch. Others prefer ongoing support across a season or a longer transition. You and your therapist will review progress regularly and adjust the plan together.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

Fit matters, and wanting a different match is a reasonable request. You can let the admin team know at 780-904-4880, and they can help you find another clinician. New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

Can I access sports performance counselling online?

Yes. Virtual sessions are available anywhere in Alberta, which some people find easier around training and travel. The same confidentiality standards apply to virtual and in-person sessions. You can read more about online counselling.

Is this only for elite athletes?

No. Support may be relevant whether you play recreational, school, community, university, or high-performance sport. The focus reflects the role sport plays in your life right now. The clinic also describes its developmental sports performance program, elite sports performance program, and team sports performance program on separate pages.

Can counselling help while I am injured or getting ready to return?

Counselling may help with the emotional side of injury, such as frustration, worry about getting hurt again, or feeling cut off from your team. It does not treat the injury or decide when you are ready to return. Those decisions belong with your physician, physiotherapist, or other health providers. With your consent, your therapist can work alongside that care.

What if something in my sport or home environment does not feel safe?

If you are in immediate danger, call 911. If the harm involves a family member or partner, the Family Violence Info Line (Alberta) is available 24/7 and toll-free at 310-1818. Once you are safe, counselling can be a place to talk about what has been happening. The clinic also offers abuse counselling.

Meet Your Clinicians

The team at Wholesome Psychology includes Registered Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers, Canadian Certified Counsellors, Mental Health Therapists, and Student Therapists. All psychologists are registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists. Registered Provisional Psychologists practise under the supervision of a senior registered psychologist. Registered Social Workers are regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW).

Clinicians bring training in a range of approaches. Individual profiles on the Our Therapists page describe each person's areas of focus, so you can look for someone who works with sport, performance, or related concerns. If you are unsure where to start, the Match with a Therapist tool or the admin team at 780-904-4880 can help.

Children and Youth

Young athletes feel pressure too. Sometimes it comes from coaches, teammates, or parents, and sometimes it comes from inside. Wholesome Psychology offers counselling for children and adolescents as well as adults.

Therapists who work with younger clients use approaches that fit the young person's age and stage of development. With the young person's input, clinicians can also work with parents and caregivers so that support at home fits with the work done in session. You can read more about child and youth counselling and therapy for teens aged 13 to 15.

When You Want to Take a Next Step

If you would like to learn more or get started, you can choose whichever option feels easiest:

• Book a session online through the Wholesome Psychology booking system
• Find a therapist with the Match with a Therapist tool
• Call the admin team at 780-904-4880
• Email info@wholesomepsychology.ca
• Read the Getting Started with Therapy guide

Starting the conversation is enough.

New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

References

• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. (2025). Coach's corner: Supporting the health of Special Olympics athletes [PDF resource developed with Special Olympics Canada].
• Effects of psychological interventions to enhance athletic performance: A systematic review and meta-analysis. (n.d.). [PubMed record].