What is Sport Psychology & Mental Coaching?
Understanding the different roles in the mental performance field can be confusing. Here is a clear breakdown of who does what and where a Certified Mental Performance Consultant fits into the picture.
Mental Performance Coach: An expert in mental skills training and performance enhancement. Works with athletes, professionals, and high performers to develop the psychological tools needed to compete, lead, and perform at a higher level. Focuses entirely on performance outcomes rather than clinical mental health treatment.
Sport Psychologist: An expert in both mental health and mental skills training and performance enhancement. Holds a doctoral degree and is licensed to diagnose and treat mental health conditions in addition to providing performance coaching. Can work in both clinical and performance settings.
Sport Psychiatry: A medical doctor specializing in the intersection of psychiatry and sport. Provides expertise in medication management, clinical diagnosis, counseling, and treatment of mental health conditions within athletic and performance populations.
Sport Therapist/Counselor: Focuses on the emotional, psychological, and social well-being of individuals in sport and performance environments. Holds a licensed mental health credential such as an LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) or LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist).
I am a CMPC - Certified Mental performance Consultant
Even though I am not a sport psychologist, I have achieved the highest level of certification available in the field of sport and performance psychology. The CMPC credential is awarded through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) and is recognized as the gold standard in the mental performance coaching profession.
To earn the CMPC designation you must hold a Master's or doctoral degree in sport science, psychology, or a related field, complete 400 or more hours of supervised mentored experience with real clients, complete extensive coursework across eight knowledge domains covering performance science, ethics, research, diversity, and helping relationships, and pass a rigorous credentialing exam administered by AASP.
It is a demanding process intentionally: the credential exists to ensure that anyone holding it has both the academic foundation and the real-world experience to work responsibly and effectively with clients.
Within my role I always refer out to mental health providers or licensed sport psychologists when a client's needs fall outside my scope of practice. Knowing that line and respecting it is part of what it means to be a responsible practitioner in this field.
What does a Mental Performance Consultant actually do?
The short answer is that I help people get out of their own way. Most athletes and high performers already have the physical tools and the technical skills to perform at the level they are chasing. What holds them back is almost always mental. The overthinking before a competition, the loss of confidence after a bad stretch, the inability to stay present under pressure, or the habits of self-talk that quietly undermine performance without the person even realizing it.
My work is about identifying those patterns, building self-awareness around them, and then developing the specific skills that replace them with something more effective. This is not motivational coaching and it is not therapy. It is structured, evidence-based mental skills development applied directly to performance.
The areas I work in include mental skills training, attention regulation and focus control, visualization and mental imagery, breathing and arousal management, performance routines, self-talk and cognitive restructuring, confidence and self-belief, adversity response, team dynamics and cohesion, leadership development, decision fatigue, performing under pressure, and achieving flow state.
Who can benefit from this work?
The mental skills developed through performance coaching are not exclusive to athletes. They are human skills and applicable to anyone operating in a demanding environment where the mind plays a role in outcomes. I work with competitive athletes at every level from youth to professional, coaches, parents of athletes, business professionals, healthcare workers, military and first responders, performers, and individuals simply looking to think more clearly and live with more intention.
I encourage everyone who finds this website to schedule a free 15 minute phone call. You likely were researching and curious enough about mental performance to find my page and this information, and if you read all the way to the bottom of this page….. book that initial call!