Sports Psychology
Inova Sports Medicine offers sport psychology services to athletes, teams, and coaches at all levels. Whether you are dealing with pressure, performance anxiety, mental blocks, loss of confidence, or simply looking for that extra “edge,” Dr. Melissa Womble and our team of experts provide mental skills training to help you achieve consistent, optimal performance and reach your full athletic potential.
Reasons to consult a sports psychologist:
- Have trouble staying focused during competition
- Lack confidence during practice or games
- Perform well in practice, but not in games
- Experience performance anxiety
- Feel less confident, less motivated, or more anxious after an injury
- Want to improve your communication with coaches, athletes, or teammates
- Are feeling burnt out from your sport
- Are looking for a competitive edge
What mental skills can we help you improve?
Time management, prioritization, training harder and smarter, designing and following routines, and setting specific goals.
Honest self-appraisal and self-monitoring (this is a crucial first step in learning to regulate your emotional and physical states within, and outside the realm of sport).
Focusing on task-relevant thoughts, minimizing distractions, solving problems effectively, reducing self-doubt and self-blame over mistakes, and thinking in ways that enhance your self-confidence.
Quick decision-making, efficiency of visual search behaviors, anticipation of likely events.
Directing and sustaining focus to promote effective execution, focusing on the right thing at the right time.
Controlling various feeling states (e.g., anxiety, anger, excitement, physical arousal), achieving optimal physical and mental energy levels for high performance, using “normal nervousness” to your advantage, learning to control your breathing and relax when needed, remaining composed under emotional or physical distress.
Establishing a clearer sense of who you are, enhancing well-being and self-worth.
Interacting effectively with others, communicating assertively to convey your needs, preserving your relationships, and building an open and positive team atmosphere.