Sports and Mental Performance Counseling
Your mind is part of how you perform, too.
Our Approach
Sports and mental performance counseling at The Oaks is led by Dr. Kristin Sawyer, whose background in sport and performance psychology shapes her holistic, person-centered approach to working with athletes and individuals in high-pressure, performance-driven environments. She understands that performance doesn’t happen in isolation; confidence, perfectionism, identity, stress, relationships, and expectations can all influence how you feel and perform.
Through a collaborative approach, Kristin combines mental health counseling with practical performance strategies to help clients manage pressure, build confidence and resilience, regulate emotions, and better understand the patterns that may be getting in their way. The goal isn’t simply to perform better, but to feel more grounded in who you are while pursuing your personal, athletic, or professional goals.
Sports & Mental Performance Counseling May Help With
Performance anxiety
Confidence and self-doubt
Fear of making mistakes
High performance careers
Perfectionism
Managing pressure and expectations
Focus and concentration
Negative self-talk
Emotional regulation during competition
Recovering mentally after mistakes or poor performances
Injury, recovery, and returning to play
Changes in playing time, role, team, or level of competition
Coach or teammate relationships
Burnout and loss of motivation
Balancing athletics, school, work, and relationships
Athletic identity and transitions out of sport
Anxiety, stress, or other concerns that extend beyond athletics
What To Expect
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Explore the thoughts, emotions, expectations, and patterns that show up when the pressure is on and how they may be affecting both your well-being and performance.
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Develop practical tools for confidence, focus, emotional regulation, self-talk, managing mistakes, and staying grounded in high-pressure moments.
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Your performance is only one part of who you are. Sessions also make room for identity, relationships, stress, transitions, and whatever else you’re carrying outside of the role you perform in.
