App State Sport Psychology Services: Providing comprehensive psychology services to support student athletes holistic development
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of App State Sport Psychology Services is to provide comprehensive and embedded (visible and accessible) psychological support that aids student-athletes in becoming their best selves physically, mentally, and socially; to promote mental wellness and optimal performance; and to contribute to a diverse and inclusive athletic department and campus community.
App State athletics has had an ongoing collaborative relationship with the university counseling center to provide integrated behavioral health services to App State student-athletes. This team serves as a connection to the broad network of campus resources regarding health and wellness. Click here to visit the Appalachian State University Counseling & Psychological Services website.
WHO WE ARE
The App State Sport Psychology team consists of licensed psychologists, certified mental performance consultants, psychological associates, post-doctoral fellows, and doctoral interns. We are committed to providing holistic and integrative psychological and performance interventions tailored to the unique needs of our student athletes.
Dr. Jacob Cooper, Ph.D.
Staff Sport Psychologist
Associate Athletic Director for Sport Psychology & Mental Wellness
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Dr. Courtney Shields
Assistant Director of Sport Psychology & Mental Wellness
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Heidi Campbell, M.A.
Staff Counselor
Athletics Liaison
from UCC
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SERVICES
Confidential individual performance consultations, counseling, psychological rehabilitation from injury, career counseling and specialized care referrals for varsity student-athletes.
Individual counseling and performance consulting sessions provide an opportunity to maximize your personal strengths and explore factors that may be preventing you from reaching your potential athletically, academically or personally. Individual sessions are confidential. Presenting concerns occur across a continuum and include but are not limited to:
WHAT TO EXPECT
Brief performance consultation typically lasts about 30 minutes and includes time for discussing current concerns, relevant history and goals. Appointment times and length are flexible. While some athletes get what they need through the brief consultation alone, many schedule follow up sessions via a formal intake for therapy or 1-3 brief sessions of performance enhancement work. Follow-up sessions typically last 45 minutes and occur once every other week. Performance psychology consultation also may include a brief talk at practice or in passing if appropriate and agreed upon. All sessions focus on discussing goals, strategies and skill development to address concerns. Student-athletes are encouraged to provide feedback to sport psychology and work collaboratively to make sure that individual services are meeting their needs.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Feelings of trust and safety are critical for personal growth and relationship building. Therefore, confidentiality is taken quite seriously. ALL conversations and correspondence between you, the student-athlete, and your mental health professional remain confidential. Any information discussed will not be shared with coaches, sports information, media or others without your written consent or in instances where disclosure is required by law.
TEAM OR GROUP SERVICES
Team sessions, subgroup sessions, or workshops are available for App State varsity teams and tailored to the team in collaboration with coaches and staff.
Sessions are designed to address the unique needs of the participating team and to provide memorable active learning experiences to build team unity, reinforce team mission and vision, clarify team goals, roles, and responsibilities or teach mental skills. Sample topics include, but are not limited to:
- What is Sport Psychology and how can it help you? Introduction to your mental game
- Bystander intervention training
- How to help a teammate? Mental health warning signs and how to have a caring conversation
- Science of goal setting and system building
- Transition Tool Box: Coping skills for adjustment of incoming freshman/outgoing seniors
- Achieving a championship mindset
- Maintaining focus and composure under pressure
- Building and maintaining confidence
- Optimizing self-talk and pre-performance routines
- Emotion regulation + interpersonal effectiveness in sport
- Mindfulness and eliciting flow/staying in the present moment during competition
- Improving team dynamics
- Effective imagery and visualization for optimal performance
- Sleep hygiene and relaxation training for stress management and injury prevention
- Psychology of injury and pain management for optimal recovery
- Heart coherence and energy preservation for competition
- Leadership development
- Brief assessment/inventories reviewing (administered and interpreted by Dr. Cooper)
- Athletic coping skills
- Athletic identity
- Player personality style
Staff consultation is available for any App State staff or campus partner with a sport psychologist. While we only provide individual counseling/psychotherapy to varsity student-athletes, we frequently consult with coaches, administrators, athletic trainers, PTs, physicians, sports performance and nutritional staff. We strive to collaborate with others to support staff, coaches, teams and student-athletes to thrive and succeed at App State. Topics include, but are not limited to, how to respond to a challenging situation, improving team dynamics, enhancing leadership or effective communication.
COST
Services are provided free of charge to varsity student-athletes who are currently enrolled as Appalachian State student-athletes.
LOCATION
Dr. Cooper and Dr. Shields meet with athletes within the athletics department. Their office locations are below.
Dr. Jacob Cooper
4th Floor, Mark E. Ricks Athletics Complex (Kidd Brewer Stadium)
Office 4014
425 Jack Branch Drive
Boone, N.C. 28608
Phone: (828) 262-3180
Dr. Courtney Shields
4th Floor, Mark E. Ricks Athletics Complex (Kidd Brewer Stadium)
Office #4036
425 Jack Branch Drive
Boone, N.C. 28608
Phone: (828) 262-3180
Athletes can also work with additional sport psych team members via the
university counseling center
App State Counseling & Psychological Services
1st Floor, Miles Annas Building (Next to the University Post Office)
614 Howard Street
Boone, N.C. 28608
Phone: (828) 262-3180
SELF HELP RESOURCES
