Mindset Matters: Mental Skills and Performance Optimization

Kelsey Roberts, MS

Mental Skills Specialist

Human beings have an innate desire to improve, and athletes are no exception. Generally, those seeking out mental skills training are “in the market” for performance optimization. They want to learn how to navigate the increasing competitiveness of sport so that they can show up their best and be their best. Mental skills training is the “how” behind the qualities so essential in sport performance: confidence, resilience, and composure.

Athletes are often quick to acknowledge that their mental game is a critical component of their success. And yet, they’re often just as quick to admit that their efforts in building this part of their game are minimal. It’s not uncommon that athletes spend upwards of 8-10 hours a week practicing their physical game: skills, drills, strategies.

As mental skills specialists, it’s our job to educate athletes on the fact that their mental game deserves the same kind of intention.

This means developing a sense of competency, a belief in one’s skill that remains constant regardless of circumstance. This means:

• focusing on the process (because we can’t climb a ladder if the first rung is too high to reach!).

• getting curious, not judgmental (thanks, Ted Lasso!) about our performance so that we can continue to make steps forward, even when it feels hard.

• learning to manage setbacks and failure productively.

Mental skills training isn’t about eliminating the hard stuff. It’s about having (and trusting!) the mental tools we’ve gathered to move through the challenges effectively.

Learn more about Mental Skills Training at The Micheli Center.

Meet our Mental Skills Specialists:

• Amanda Carr, MEd

• Kelsey Roberts, MS

The Micheli Center’s mental skills specialists are a part of an integrated

Sports Behavioral Health Clinic within Sports Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, which was designed to address an athlete’s needs from a holistic lens.

This graphic can help determine whether mental skills training or mental health support is most appropriate for your athlete.