Individual Sport Psychology Sessions
Our newest provider, Peter, is now scheduling clients for February 2025!
Note: Dr. Ayala’s current wait time is approximately 3 months. If you’d like to work with her specifically, join her waitlist and we’ll contact you when she has availability!
At Skadi Sport Psychology, we offer two distinct but complementary services to support athletes: Mental Health Therapy and Performance Coaching. Understanding the difference between these services can help you make an informed decision about which path best suits your needs.
Mental Health Therapy vs. Performance Coaching: Which Path is Right for You?
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Mental health therapy focuses on addressing psychological concerns that impact both your athletic performance and overall well-being. This service is provided by licensed mental health professionals who are also trained in sport psychology.
You might benefit from Mental Health Therapy if you're experiencing:
Persistent feelings of depression or anxiety that affect multiple areas of life
Difficulty being around teammates or withdrawing from social situations
Struggling to complete daily tasks or maintain regular routines
Significant changes in mood, sleep, or appetite
Overwhelming worry about injury or performance that interferes with daily life
Feelings of hopelessness or loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed
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Performance coaching focuses specifically on enhancing your athletic performance through mental skills training and psychological techniques. This service is provided by mental performance consultants who have completed their sport psychology certification or are actively working toward it.
Performance Coaching might be right for you if you're looking to:
Develop pre-performance routines and mental preparation strategies
Learn techniques for managing competition anxiety
Improve focus and concentration during training and competition
Build confidence and resilience in your sport
Enhance motivation and goal-setting skills
Better manage pressure in competitive situations
Frequently Asked Questions
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Each 50-55 minute session is $205. Clients will add their credit card, debit card, or FSA/HSA card number to an online client portal prior to our work together. Their card is then automatically charged at the end of the day for that session.
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Skadi Sport Psychology does not take insurance directly. That said, we offer Out of Network (OON) insurance claims for our mental health therapy clients. This service allows us to contact your insurance provider to verify your OON benefits and submit claims on your behalf. You will continue to pay the session fee upfront, and once you meet your deductible, your insurance company will send you a reimbursement check for a portion of the cost.
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Much of the work overlaps, and the choice between performance psychology and mental health counseling depends on the client's needs. Some key differences are as follows:
Mental Health Therapy: 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 and 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 our work together as a necessity, so partial reimbursement for services is not possible.
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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
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Please remember to cancel or reschedule an appointment 24 hours in advance. Please call or email to notify me 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. I will not start sessions 20 minutes past our scheduled time.
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The duration and frequency of sport psychology sessions is unique to each athlete and depends on various factors, such as schedule and life circumstances, therapist 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 2024 athletes at Skadi was 8 sessions.
Some clients may only attend 1-3 sessions, and others may continue to use sport psychology indefinitely, just as they would physical therapy or other types of therapy or coaching!
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We work with athletes 12 and older. In 2024, the ages of Skadi athletes were as follows:
30% in their teens
21% in their 20s
24% in their 30s
12% in their 40s
13% in their 50s
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Sports: We specialize in endurance sports 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 (e.g., figure skating, hockey, soccer).
Competition Levels: We work with all levels of athletes!
30% are in youth leagues (high school or club)
15% are pro, elite, Olympic, or Paralympic athletes
15% are collegiate athletes
40% are recreational or amateur athletes.
Vibes: Many of our athletes would fall into the perfectionist + anxious achiever + people pleaser personality bundle of fun. They often say they are their own worst critic and like to do #allthethings.
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Most of our sessions take place via telehealth, but Skadi now has its own office space for athletes in the Twin Cities area! In person sessions are available at the new office space, which is off of Hwy 169 along the New Hope/Plymouth border.
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Over half of our clients schedule sessions every 2 weeks on a recurring basis. About 25% of our clients schedule sessions on a weekly basis. The remaining 25% schedule every 3 weeks, once per month, or on an “as needed” basis.
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In general, we tend to work with athletes who:
want support with stress management, work/life/training balance, or are facing big life transitions or decisions
have experienced a recent injury or surgery and may be struggling with fear of reinjury or the rehabilitation process
are navigating the perimenopausal transition and how that affects their relationship with training & racing
can train really well, but when race day comes, experience overwhelming anxiety. As a result, they’re not able to perform to their true fitness levels.
experience complex illness, chronic illness, or psychogenic/psychosomatic concerns (e.g., fainting spells, non-epileptic seizures)
experience overwhelming levels of self-criticism or perfectionism and are often told they just need to get out of their own way (if only it were that easy, right?!)
are on the verge of a REALLY big season and they want to make the most of it
may be contemplating retirement or a step back from pro/elite competition, but are understandably reluctant to take that step
Want to meet in person? Great! The Skadi office is located in New Hope, MN right off of Hwy 169.