MY APPROACH
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Dialectical Sports Skills
My treatment manual, Dialectical Sports Skills (DSS), presents an evidence-based approach to clinical sports psychology.
Grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and core sport‑psychology principles, DSS integrates a range of psychological and multidisciplinary frameworks. It supports whole person development—mind and body—while emphasizing high performance.
DSS is attuned to the culture of athletics. It addresses the distinct emotional, social, cognitive, behavioral, physical, and academic stressors that shape the student-athlete experience. Its broad curriculum encompasses the most common challenges that are faced in school sports.
As a unified protocol, DSS is flexible and easily tailored to individual needs. Practical, actionable skills are delivered through standalone modules. Plans are shaped around each person’s unique concerns, personality, values, and goals, with attention to their social, cultural, and competitive context.
I deliver DSS with empathy, authenticity, and a nonjudgmental stance. My person-centered, collaborative style empowers clients to navigate current challenges in order to recover from psychological and performance setbacks.
Clients
While designed for student-athletes, DSS benefits competitive athletes of all types and levels. It should be administered by qualified professionals to ensure effective, individualized support. DSS serves:
• Athletes, as a structured workbook and a quiver of mental/behavioral skills
• Mental health clinicians, as a treatment guide and teaching curriculum
• Coaches and consultants, as a toolbox for performance enhancement
• Sports medicine personnel, as a resource for athletic wellness and recovery
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Manual Contents
Mental Health
• Dialectics
• Mindful Focus
• Ambivalence
• Self-Monitor
• Diathesis-Stress
• Radical Acceptance
• Distress Tolerance
• Emotion Awareness
• Alternative Thinking
• Alternative Action
• Harm Reduction
• Exposure Therapy
• Cope Ahead
Athletic Performance
• Motivation
• Self-Confidence
• Physiological Intensity
• Performance Anxiety
• Routines
• Imagery
• Communication
• Conflict
• Team Dynamics
• Diversity
• Athletic Wellness
• Injury
• Sleep
• Travel
• Eating
• Retirement