You’re an athlete. You push your body to the max and thrive off competition. To achieve this level of success you’ve had to make sacrifices and compromises. So your social life and your mental health may not have been your top priority.

You give your all to be the best athlete you can be.

Furthermore, when your career is going well, you’re inundated with pressure to always perform well. In fact, others are counting on it. And, you don’t want to let them down. Or, be the reason your team loses. Sometimes, you doubt yourself and your abilities. You worry you’re not good enough. So you keep pushing and pushing until you reach a mental and/or physical breaking point.

But sometimes life doesn't go as planned. And, your athletic career is jeopardized or ends altogether. When this happens, you may be left feeling confused and disheartened. After all, being an athlete was the thing that defined you, and now that’s gone

Sports Counseling Can Help You Achieve Balance in Your Life

We realize you think you have to put on this tough facade. After all, you’re a skilled athlete and people expect the best from you day in and day out. But, it is okay to struggle with your mental health. Especially when you consider all the pressure you’re under. Getting athletic counseling does not mean you’re “weak.” In fact, getting counseling can help you overcome the internal struggles you’re experiencing and improve your overall athletic performance. Counseling is a tool to be able to strengthen yourself and build off of your existing positive traits. 

Common Issues That Bring Athletes to Sports Counseling

There are so many issues that bring athletes to counseling. However, common mental health concerns that individuals often face include:

• Performance anxiety or challenges

• Stress

• Anxiety

• Unexpected panic attacks

• Depression

• Grief and loss 

• Trauma 

• Anger management issues

• Relationship concerns 

• Perfectionism 

• Poor self-confidence

• Academic anxiety or challenges

• Substance abuse 

• Disordered eating

• Burnout 

• Psychological response to injury

Our Approach to Sports Counseling

At White Rock Therapy, we have counselors on our therapy team that specialize in working with athletes. They understand the unique concerns you may be experiencing. And, have a wide repertoire of therapeutic tools to help you through your challenges. In fact, therapist Kayla Bryant, is a former athlete herself, so she can relate to your lifestyle and offer you interventions that work. 

We want sports counseling to work for you.

We will tailor our therapeutic approach and interventions to best address the issues that are bringing you to therapy in the first place. For example, if you’re dealing with performance anxiety, we would work on teaching you tools to help you spot trouble and cope with your distress immediately.

While those tools can be helpful in the here and now, it is also important to address where painful thoughts and feelings came from. In therapy, we will do some work to find out the deep roots of the painful emotions or thoughts, and work to resolve those. For example, we can discuss messages received from old coaches, parents, and teammates. If any of those are negative, we can reconstruct those beliefs.

EMDR for Athletes and Performance Issues

Eye movement desensitization reprocessing or EMDR is a therapeutic technique that is often used to help individuals who are feeling “stuck” and unable to move forward in their life. EMDR uses a technique called bilateral stimulation. This helps move a traumatic memory or thought from the emotional side of the brain to the logical brain so it can be processed in a rational way. EMDR is particularly effective in treating anxiety, performance anxiety, and trauma, so many athletes find it extremely beneficial in overcoming psychological obstacles that are hindering your athletic performance.

Online Athletic Counseling

Our therapists are proud to offer online therapy to anyone living in the state of Texas. We recognize that you may live a very busy life. Especially if you’re still competing. Maybe you’re traveling for games or away at college. Or perhaps your training schedule is very intense. Whatever the case may be, as long as you’re located in Texas, we can offer you counseling to help you work on the issues that matter most to you. 

The Benefits of Sports Counseling

After counseling, you can expect to feel a renewed sense of confidence that you can handle your distress better. Furthermore, you will begin to cultivate your identity outside of being an athlete. Ultimately, we hope you will feel completely understood regarding your unique experience as an athlete.

Begin Athletic Counseling in Dallas Texas 

If you’re an athlete and looking for therapy in Texas, we would be honored to speak with you. Our therapists are available to answer any questions you may have and tell you all about the many ways we can help you address your concerns. To begin counseling in Dallas, TX or online therapy in Texas, follow these steps: 

1. Contact White Rock Therapy

2. Schedule an appointment with a caring therapist

3. Get out of this “stuck” phase, and live the life you want!

Other Services Offered at White Rock Therapy

We offer a variety of counseling services at our Dallas, TX-based therapy office. White Rock Therapy offers Christian counseling, trauma therapy and PTSD treatment, EMDR, support for families of addicts, online therapy, group therapy, anxiety therapy, and grief counseling. For clinicians, we also offer clinical supervision and clinical consultations for therapists. Support is readily available in Dallas, TX, Frisco, TX, virtually anywhere in Texas and virtually anywhere in New Jersey. For any additional questions, please feel free to visit our FAQ page!