Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT IS THE SESSION COST?

Each 50-55 minute session is $205.

DO YOU TAKE INSURANCE?

We are Out-of-Network providers, which means we do not directly take insurance. That said, we provide concierge billing and claims submission for clients who can receive partial reimbursement for Out of Network services. This means you don’t need to deal with additional paperwork, superbills, or phone calls with your insurance company. We’ll take care of that part for you by determining whether you’re eligible for benefits during the intake process. If eligible for partial reimbursement, you’ll pay Skadi the full session fee upon date of service, and your insurance will follow up by sending you a check in the mail.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PERFORMANCE PSYCHOLOGY AND MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING SESSIONS?

The choice between performance psychology and mental health counseling depends on the client's needs. Some key differences are as follows:

• Mental Health Counseling: Clients receive a formal mental health diagnosis and focus on reducing mental health symptoms and concerns. Clients must be located in a state that participates in the PSYPACT agreement. Partial reimbursement for therapy services is possible.

• Performance Psychology: Clients do not receive a formal mental health diagnosis. We focus on topics such as motivation, goal setting, injury recovery, confidence, mental toughness, and other psychological skills. Clients can be located in any state, but insurance companies will not view the work together as a necessity, so partial reimbursement for services is not possible.

WHAT STATES DO YOU PRACTICE IN?

Performance psychology services can be provided in all states, Canada, and other countries.

Mental health counseling can be provided in the following states:

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, & Wyoming

DO YOU PROVIDE CERTIFIED MENTAL PERFORMANCE CONSULTANT (CMPC) MENTORSHIP?

Yes, Dr. Ayala is approved by the Association of Applied Sport Psychology as a CMPC Mentor. CMPC Mentorship costs $175/hour. Those interested in CMPC mentorship must be independently licensed as a mental health clinician and provide their own clients for the duration of the consultation relationships.

CAN YOU DO A WORKSHOP FOR MY TEAM, CLUB, OR ORGANIZATION?

Yes! We regularly provide workshops and presentations for sports teams and clubs. Pricing is as follows:

• Keynote and/or custom workshops: $500 and up

• Standard 60 min workshop: $300

• Package of 3 standard 60 min workshops: $810 (10% off)

• Package of 5 standard 60 min workshops: $1200 (20% off)

• Non-profit organizations: additional 20% off

• Workshops for organizations with the mission to fight gender &/or racial inequities in sport: free! (We provide one workshop per month for organizations that qualify.)

WHAT IS YOUR CANCELLATION POLICY?

Please remember to cancel or reschedule an appointment 24 hours in advance. Please call or email to notify your provider of a cancellation or to reschedule an appointment. You will be responsible for the entire fee for an appointment if cancellation is made less than 24 hours before the scheduled appointment. This is necessary because a time commitment is made to you and is held exclusively for you. If you are late for a session, you may lose some of that session time. We will not start sessions 20 minutes past our scheduled time.

HOW MANY SESSIONS DO PEOPLE USE?

The duration and frequency of sport psychology sessions are unique to each client and depend on various factors, such as schedule and life circumstances, provider availability, unexpected life changes, the length of the sport season, the nature of the specific challenges, personal and family finances, and more. The median number of sessions for Skadi clients each year is about 8. Current median of lifetime sessions is about 11.

WHAT AGE GROUPS DO YOU WORK WITH?

We work with athletes 12 and older. For the first session, we ask parents to attend the first 15 minutes to discuss expectations, including how confidentiality works between the provider, the child, and the parent(s).

WHAT TYPES OF ATHLETES DO YOU WORK WITH?

We specialize in endurance athletes such as cross country, track & field, nordic skiing, swimming, cycling, rowing, and triathlon. However, we also have experience working with athletes in other sports and performance disciplines such as figure skating, volleyball, basketball, hockey, and more!

WHAT DOES YOUR SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCACY LOOK LIKE?

Social justice advocacy looks different for everyone in sport depending on their resources, bandwidth, skillset, etc. We continue to learn and unlearn how to show up as the best version of ourselves in a mission-driven manner. Here’s what works for us:

• 5% of proceeds from individual sessions are donated to 501c3s each month

• one pro-bono workshop per month for organizations addressing gender and racial inequities in sport

• We continue to conduct empirical research on gender, microaggressions, trans athletes, and DEI in sport

• The founder, Dr. Ayala, has contributed to amicus curiae briefs to support trans athletes in sport

• We sponsor and support races, teams, and organizations when bandwidth & budget allow

• BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and para athletes are moved to the top of our waitlist

• We provide internships/pro bono mentorship to CMPC mentees from historically excluded backgrounds in the field of sport psychology