Sport Psychology
Sport psychology helps us understand the effects of psychological factors on physical performance. It provides practical tools for improving your mental game so that you can perform at your best. It also helps us understand how participation in sports impacts your emotional well-being. It provides insight into the importance of taking care of yourself on a broader level, and recognizes the way that sports have an effect on your life outside of sports. Dr. Sarnell specializes in mental skills training and has experience working with athletes at the youth, high school, college, and professional level.
Peak Performance and Performance Anxiety (Sports Related and Test Anxiety)
Consider the difference between your best and worst performance this season. Was a part of that difference mental, meaning was it related to your thoughts, feelings, level of focus, and level of confidence on the day of the competition? Your mental game is likely to have a significant impact on your performance, and Dr. Sarnell can teach you skills to improve your mental game, including: strategies for getting in the zone, visualization, goal setting, pre-performance routines, positive and balanced thinking, focusing strategies, and mindfulness-based techniques.
Many of the techniques that apply to athletics are useful in improving performance in other life areas, including business, musical performance, public speaking, and exams. Dr. Sarnell has worked with students facing weekly exams or preparing for the SAT, ACT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT etc. as well as professionals as they’ve prepared for a wide variety of licensing exams. She teaches strategies for managing anxiety during the study process, setting effective goals, implementing comprehensive study plans, coping with test day anxiety and “blanking out” and preparing to perform up to your fullest potential.
Anxiety, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Mindfulness
ANXIETY MANAGEMENT
If you are experiencing persistent worries, social anxiety, test anxiety, panic attacks, specific phobias, performance anxiety, or general life stress, Dr. Sarnell can help you understand how your thought and behavior patterns impact your level of anxiety. She can teach you strategies to help you cope with anxiety, decrease reliance on unhealthy or avoidant coping patterns, and improve your overall quality of life. Dr. Sarnell has extensive experience implementing cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based techniques for the treatment of anxiety.
COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY
CBT can help you understand the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and make changes to your thinking and behavior patterns in order to improve your mood and meet your goals. CBT is an evidence-based treatment that is effective for a wide variety of concerns, including anxiety and mood disorders. It is focused on practical, concrete strategies and takes an active, problem-solving approach to addressing your concerns. Dr. Sarnell has specialized training and experience in the implementation of CBT for adolescents and adults.
CBT FOR ANXIETY
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is an evidence-based treatment for anxiety disorders. Dr. Sarnell has significant training and experience in CBT and its application to the treatment of anxiety. Dr. Sarnell applies CBT to concerns such as generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, test anxiety, panic attacks, specific phobias, and performance anxiety. Dr. Sarnell can help you understand how your thought and behavior patterns impact your level of anxiety. CBT focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful or irrational thoughts into healthier, positive and more balanced thinking patterns. The behavior component of CBT allows you to practice this new way of thinking in your everyday life. Treatment can also focus on learning new and positive behavior patterns, and gradually approaching a challenging or fearful situation in manageable steps. Dr. Sarnell can teach you strategies to help you cope with anxiety, decrease reliance on unhealthy or avoidant coping patterns, and improve your overall quality of life. Dr. Sarnell often integrates mindfulness-based techniques into traditional CBT approaches. Mindfulness is focused on present moment awareness in an open, accepting, non-judgmental way, and mindfulness practice can be very effective in increasing one's ability to cope with anxiety.
MINDFULNESS
Mindfulness and acceptance based therapy approaches are designed to help you focus your attention on present experiences in an open, accepting, non-judgmental way. Our mind constantly pulls us away from the present moment, and it takes deliberate practice to improve our ability to stay present. This type of therapy teaches you how to practice mindfulness, both through formal meditation practice and day-to-day activities. You will learn psychological skills to effectively cope with painful thoughts and feelings so that they have less influence over you and clarify what is truly important and meaningful, so that you can live a life consistent with your values. Dr. Sarnell has significant experience integrating mindfulness-based techniques into therapy.
Disordered Eating
Are you caught in a never ending cycle of dieting and binge eating? Do you spend hours each day thinking about food and fitness? Dr. Sarnell can help you learn how to develop a healthy relationship with food, exercise, and your body. From coping with the constant impact of diet culture, to getting in touch with your body’s internal cues, to working through body image concerns, to considering effective ways of managing emotions, there are ways to break this cycle and experience freedom related to your food choices. Dr. Sarnell’s work is guided by the principles of intuitive eating and a Health at Every Size Framework.
If you answer yes to any of these questions, consider reaching out for support:
Do you spend hours each day thinking about food?
Do you feel anxious or guilty when you eat foods you deem "unhealthy?"
Do you avoid social events because you won't have control over the food you eat?
Have you tried countless diets?
Do you find yourself in cycles of binge eating and restriction?
Do you view exercise as punishment?
Are you a retired athlete who feels as if you have to work out for hours and hours each day for it to “count”?
Do you think you have to earn your food and significantly change how much you eat based on whether you’ve exercised that day?