Evidence-based mental health and performance psychology services for athletes, performers, students, and professionals seeking to strengthen well-being, confidence, focus, resilience, and performance.
About the Center for Sport and Performance Psychology
The Center for Sport and Performance Psychology at Cognitive Behavior Institute helps individuals strengthen both performance and psychological well-being through evidence-based mental health services and specialized sport and performance psychology services.
Whether you are an athlete preparing for competition, a performer stepping into the spotlight, a student managing demanding academic expectations, or a professional working in a high-pressure environment, success requires more than talent, technical skill, or physical preparation. It also requires the ability to manage pressure, maintain focus, build confidence, recover from setbacks, regulate emotions, and perform consistently when it matters most.
Our approach recognizes that optimal performance and psychological well-being are deeply connected. We work collaboratively with clients to develop practical skills and strategies that enhance resilience, confidence, focus, self-awareness, emotional regulation, and sustainable success both within and beyond performance settings.
Who We Help
The Center serves individuals across a wide range of performance settings.
- Athletes: High school athletes, collegiate athletes, professional athletes, recreational athletes, injured athletes, and athletes transitioning out of sport.
- Performers: Musicians, dancers, actors, and performing artists.
- Professionals in High-Pressure Environments: First responders, healthcare professionals, physicians, attorneys, business leaders and executives, and coaches.
- Students: College students, graduate students, and professional students.
Common Reasons Individuals Seek Services
Clients may seek support for concerns such as:
- Performance anxiety
- Difficulty performing under pressure
- Loss of confidence
- Perfectionism and self-criticism
- Difficulty focusing or concentrating
- Stress and burnout
- Injury recovery and return-to-performance concerns
- Emotional regulation challenges
- Difficulty coping with mistakes or setbacks
- Motivation and goal attainment
- Life transitions
- Identity concerns
- Leadership development
- Communication challenges
Our Treatment & Performance Philosophy
Successful performance is supported by three major foundations:
- Physical preparation
- Technical skill development
- Mental preparation
Physical and technical preparation often receive the greatest attention, but mental skills frequently determine whether individuals can access their abilities consistently under pressure.
Sport and Performance Psychology is the science and practice of helping individuals develop the psychological skills needed to maximize performance, improve resilience, strengthen confidence, and enhance overall well-being.
Through individualized assessment, psychotherapy when clinically appropriate, and structured mental skills training, clients can learn to:
- Manage pressure more effectively
- Remain focused in the present moment
- Build and maintain confidence
- Respond constructively to adversity
- Regulate difficult emotions
- Recover from mistakes and setbacks
- Strengthen motivation and consistency
- Develop effective pre-performance routines
- Improve communication and leadership
- Perform more consistently at their highest potential
Because each client's needs are different, services are individualized based on whether the primary goal involves mental health treatment, performance enhancement, or both.
Two Ways We Can Help
Mental Health Services (Insurance-Eligible)
The Center provides individual psychotherapy for athletes, performers, students, and professionals experiencing emotional, psychological, interpersonal, or adjustment-related concerns. Our goal is to help clients improve overall well-being, strengthen coping skills, and create sustainable balance while navigating the unique demands of performance environments.
Common areas of treatment include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Stress
- Burnout
- Psychological aspects of injury recovery
- Life transitions
- Identity development
- Relationship concerns
- Grief and loss
- Emotional regulation difficulties
Mental health services may be eligible for insurance reimbursement when clinically appropriate and consistent with the patient's insurance benefits.
Sport and Performance Psychology Services (Self-Pay Basis)
Sport and Performance Psychology services are designed for individuals seeking to optimize performance, strengthen their mental game, enhance personal growth, and develop a sustainable competitive advantage. These services are distinct from traditional mental health treatment and focus specifically on the psychological skills associated with high-level performance. Sport and Performance Psychology services are offered on a self-pay basis and are individualized to each client's goals and performance environment.
Areas of focus may include:
- Mental skills training
- Confidence building
- Goal setting
- Mindfulness
- Effective self-talk
- Imagery and visualization
- Focus and concentration
- Motivation
- Performing under pressure
- Managing competitive stress
- Coping with performance adversity
- Leadership development
- Communication skills
- Pre-performance routines
Some clients may benefit primarily from psychotherapy, others from performance-focused services, and some may benefit from both at different points. The Center helps clients identify the service that best matches their current needs and goals.
Meet the Team
Jay Deiters, PhD
Center Consultant & Provider
Licensed Psychologist. Dr. Jay Deiters earned his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology with a specialization in Sport Psychology from the University of North Texas following graduate training in the social psychology of sport and physical activity. He has provided performance-enhancement consultation and psychological skills training to high school, collegiate, and semi-professional athletes as well as performing artists. His professional experience has also included research and consulting roles with UCLA's International Center for Talent Development and the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center. Dr. Deiters uses an integrative and collaborative approach informed by person-centered, cognitive-behavioral, emotion-focused, and interpersonal therapies. His work emphasizes both psychological well-being and the development of practical mental skills that help individuals perform effectively in demanding environments.
Resources & Community Engagement
Sport & Performance Psychology Resources
- Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) Resources: Research-informed resources for athletes, performers, coaches, parents, and professionals addressing mental performance, confidence, motivation, focus, resilience, and psychological well-being.
- AASP Blog for Athletes, Coaches & Parents: Practical articles from sport and performance psychology professionals on topics such as confidence, mental strength, performance pressure, motivation, team culture, parenting athletes, and performing at one's best.
- Understanding Mental Performance and the CMPC Credential (AASP): A useful introduction to mental performance services and the ways performance professionals help athletes and other performers strengthen confidence, concentration, resilience, consistency, and performance under pressure.
Athlete Mental Health & Well-Being
- U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee: Mental Health & Performance: Resources addressing both athlete mental health and mental performance, including psychological well-being, finding appropriate support, sleep, and mental-performance development.
- USOPC: Mental Performance at Team USA: Science-informed education about trainable mental skills, including focus, imagery, goal setting, confidence, resilience, motivation, stress regulation, and performance preparation.
- AASP Mental Wellness Resource Center: Educational resources addressing the intersection of mental health, mental wellness, and performance, including guidance on understanding different types of mental health and mental-performance services.
Collegiate & Student-Athlete Resources
- NCAA: Student-Athlete Health, Safety & Well-Being: Resources supporting the broader student-athlete experience, including mental health, physical health, academic success, leadership, and preparation for life after competitive sport.
- NCAA Mental Health Best Practices: Evidence- and consensus-informed guidance on supporting student-athlete mental health and creating athletic environments that promote psychological well-being.
Young Athletes & Parents
- AASP Resources for Parents of Young Athletes: Practical guidance for parents on supporting healthy development, learning, confidence, autonomy, and a positive sport experience for young athletes.