Wholesome Psychology offers collaborative counselling for athletes, performers, coaches, and sport families, in person in Edmonton and St. Albert or virtually across Alberta. Psychologists registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). Five locations in Edmonton and St. Albert. Virtual sessions available across Alberta. 50-minute sessions, with appointment hours seven days a week.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether Sports Psychology Is Right for You

You may be unsure whether what you are dealing with belongs in a counsellor's office or is simply part of competing. Maybe you feel you are not elite enough, or not struggling enough, to justify talking to someone about it. You might also worry about what a coach or teammate would think if they found out.

Perhaps you train well all week and then tighten up when it counts. A single mistake might replay in your head for days. Or time away with an injury has left you unsure who you are when you are not playing. These are common responses to pressure, setbacks, and change. They make sense when something you care about this much feels uncertain.

They do not mean you are weak, or that you are not cut out for your sport. If you are curious what talking it through could look like, the rest of this page explains how sports psychology counselling works here, who it may suit, and what it costs. You can read at your own pace and decide what feels useful.

Who We Help

Sports psychology counselling may be a good fit if you are:

• A recreational, school, club, university, or competitive athlete at any level
• A young athlete, or the parent or guardian of one (see Children and Youth below)
• Recovering from an injury, returning to sport, or adjusting to time away
• Moving between teams or levels of competition, or stepping away from sport altogether
• Balancing training with school, work, relationships, and rest
• A coach, official, or team staff member carrying pressure of your own
• A dancer, musician, or other performer facing similar pressures (the Performing Arts Program page may also be relevant)
• Reading on behalf of an athlete you care about and trying to understand what support looks like

Coaches and teams interested in group work can also read about the Sports Performance Team Program.

This service may not be the right fit if:

• You are in crisis or in immediate danger. Please use the crisis resources below.
• You need a legal, forensic, or investigative service, such as a report for a dispute, complaint, or court process. These needs are outside this counselling service.
• You are looking for a psychological assessment, or a team or sport organization has asked for an evaluation. Psychological assessments are a separate service and are not part of sports psychology counselling.
• You need a decision about medical clearance, return to play, or medication. These belong with your physician or sport medicine team. Psychologists in Alberta do not prescribe medication.

If You Need Help Right Now

Counselling is not set up for emergencies. If you are thinking about suicide, are afraid for your safety, or someone in or outside your sport is harming you, these services can help now:

• Call 911 if you or someone else is in immediate danger.
• Alberta Mental Health Help Line: 1-877-303-2642 (24/7)
• Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741
• Kids Help Phone, for young people: 1-800-668-6868, or text CONNECT to 686868 (24/7)

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service.

What Sports Psychology Counselling Is

Sports psychology counselling is a space to talk through the mental and emotional side of taking part in sport. Sessions may involve noticing patterns, clarifying what matters to you, and building practical coping strategies for training, competition, and the rest of your life. The focus follows your goals, whether those centre on pressure, confidence, motivation, transitions, team dynamics, or identity.

A few boundaries help set clear expectations:

• It is not a legal service, an investigation, or crisis intervention.
• It does not include psychological assessment or testing. Those are offered as a separate service.
• It is not a replacement for coaching, medical care, or physiotherapy.
• It does not promise a result on the scoreboard, a roster spot, or any particular outcome.

You set the pace, not your clinician. What you share is confidential, with some legal limits that are explained in your first session and described further down this page. Clinicians work within their scope of practice and training, and they will tell you if a concern is better served by another professional or service.

Signs Sport-Related Pressure May Be Affecting You

You do not need a diagnosis, or a crisis, to talk to someone. These are some of the patterns people describe when sport starts to weigh on them:

• Feeling dread, rather than ordinary nerves, in the days before competition
• Replaying mistakes or bad games long after they are over
• Losing trust in skills you know you have
• Struggling to sleep or settle your body before big events
• Feeling flat or unmotivated about a sport you used to enjoy
• Pulling away from teammates, friends, or family
• Feeling tense around a coach, parent, or teammate, or unsure how to raise a concern
• Worrying about what life looks like after an injury, a cut, or retirement
• Feeling as if your worth rises and falls with your results

Having some of these experiences does not mean something is permanently wrong with you. They are common reactions to pressure, setbacks, and change, and they can shift over time. Structured support may give you a place to understand them and decide what you want to do next.

How Sports Psychology Counselling Works Here

• Find your therapist. You can use the Match with a Therapist tool, browse Our Therapists, or call the administrative team at 780-904-4880 to talk through fit and availability.
• Book your first session. Your clinician starts by reviewing consent, confidentiality, and the limits of confidentiality. Then you talk about what brings you in and what you hope to get from counselling. You can ask questions about the process before sharing anything personal.
• Build your plan together. You and your clinician create a plan that reflects your goals, your sport, and the rest of your life. You have a say in what you work on and how.
• Ongoing sessions. Sessions are 50 minutes. Follow-ups are typically weekly or every two weeks, and the schedule can be adjusted around training, travel, or competition season.
• Progress check-ins. Your clinician reviews progress with you regularly. The plan can change as your needs or your season change.

There is no fixed number of sessions. Counselling is collaborative, and your voice matters at every stage, including any decision to pause or stop. Getting Started with Therapy walks through the process in more detail.

Evidence and Approaches

This page only describes research that has been checked against its original source. Here is what that currently includes.

Research on Mental Health in Sport

What it looked at: How often mental health symptoms appear among elite athletes.

Evidence summary: A systematic review and meta-analysis was carried out to support the International Olympic Committee (IOC) consensus statement on mental health in elite athletes (PUBMED_001). Its focus reflects that mental health in high-level sport is an active area of study. This page does not quote its figures while the full study details are being verified.

Limitations: It focused on elite athletes, so it may not reflect recreational, school, or youth sport. It describes how common symptoms are, not whether counselling changes them.

How Approaches Are Chosen Here

This page does not list specific therapy models for sport-related concerns. Your clinician can explain the approaches they use, why they are suggesting them, and what research does and does not show for your situation. You can ask about this at any point, including in your first session.

What Results to Expect

Change in counselling is rarely a straight line. You may have a good stretch and then a hard week before a big event. That is a normal part of the process and is not necessarily a sign that counselling is not helping.

Some people notice shifts within a few months. Others find longer-term work more useful, especially through a transition or a long season. What happens for you may depend on:

• What you are dealing with and how long it has been building
• What else is happening in your life, in and outside sport
• How well you connect with your clinician

No form of counselling can guarantee an outcome, in sport or anywhere else. Fit matters, and you can always ask to change clinicians or try a different approach.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What you share in counselling is confidential. Your coach, team, school, sport organization, or family does not hear about your sessions unless you agree, or unless one of the legal exceptions below applies.

Psychologists at Wholesome Psychology are regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). They also follow the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists, published by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA). Privacy is protected by Alberta law as well.

In private clinics, the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) generally sets the rules for how personal information is collected, used, and disclosed. The Health Information Act (HIA) applies to health information held by designated custodians, such as Alberta Health Services, and to clinicians who work for or contract with them. Your clinician can explain which rules apply to your records.

There are situations where a clinician may be required to share information without your consent:

• If there is a risk of serious harm to you or someone else
• If a child may be experiencing abuse or neglect, which must be reported under Alberta law
• If a court orders the release of records

Your clinician will explain these limits clearly in your first session. If a team, school, or sport organization is involved in arranging your sessions, any contact with them is discussed with you first and happens only with your consent, unless the law requires otherwise. You are welcome to ask questions about privacy before you share anything personal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to talk about a bad loss, an injury, or a hard season in detail?

No. You decide what to share and when. You can start with what is happening now, such as how you feel before games or how you talk to yourself after a mistake, rather than going back over everything in detail. If a topic starts to feel like too much, you can say so, and your clinician will slow down or change direction.

Will my coach, team, or parents find out what I say?

What you share is confidential, and it is not passed on to coaches, teams, or sport organizations without your consent. There are legal limits, including a risk of serious harm, suspected abuse or neglect of a child, and court orders. For young athletes, how information is shared with parents or guardians is explained at the start. The Confidentiality and Privacy section covers this in more detail.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no set number. Some people come for a handful of sessions around one concern, such as a dip in confidence or a return from injury. Others prefer support through a whole season or a bigger transition. You and your clinician review progress regularly and decide together whether to continue, change the plan, or pause.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

Fit matters, and it is reasonable to say so. If the connection does not feel right, the administrative team can help you find a different clinician. New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

Can I have sessions online?

Yes. Virtual sessions are available across Alberta, and the same confidentiality standards apply as in person. If you expect to be outside Alberta for a tournament, a training camp, or a school term, ask before booking a session from there. The rules depend on where you are located at the time of the session.

Is sports psychology counselling only for elite athletes?

No. Pressure, setbacks, and questions about identity show up at every level of sport. Recreational players, school and club athletes, university competitors, coaches, and performers can all use counselling to talk through what sport brings up for them.

Is this the same as a psychological assessment?

No. This page describes counselling. Psychological assessments are a separate service with their own process. If you have been asked to get an assessment, the administrative team can tell you what is offered and how to arrange it.

I am a parent or coach. How can I support an athlete who is struggling?

You can read this page together, or call the administrative team with general questions about how counselling works. Where possible, let the athlete have a say in whether and how they take part. If the athlete is an adult, the decision to book is theirs.

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, and Student Therapists are master's-level practicum students working under supervision. Registered Social Workers are regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW).

Clinicians' training and areas of focus vary, and each profile describes who that clinician works with. You can browse Our Therapists, use the Match with a Therapist tool, or call 780-904-4880. The administrative team can help you find a clinician who works with sport-related concerns.

Children and Youth

Young athletes face many of the same pressures as adults, often while also managing school, growing bodies, and many adults invested in how they play. Wholesome Psychology offers counselling for children, adolescents, and young people. Clinicians who work with younger clients use age-appropriate approaches.

Clinicians also work with parents and caregivers to support the young person's environment at home and in sport. At the start, your clinician will explain how information is shared with parents or guardians, so everyone knows what to expect. You can read more about child and youth counselling and adolescent mental health support.

Taking a Next Step

If you would like to explore sports psychology counselling, you can take the next step in whichever way feels easiest:

• Book a session online
• Match with a therapist
• Call 780-904-4880
• Email info@wholesomepsychology.ca
• Read Getting Started with Therapy or Contact Us

Starting the conversation is enough.

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

References

• Supporting the IOC consensus statement on mental health in elite athletes: A systematic review and meta-analysis on the prevalence of mental health symptoms in elite sports.