Sports Mental Health | Therapy in Mesa, Arizona

Sports mental health focuses on athletes’ emotional and psychological well-being, both within their sport and in everyday life. Counseling offers space to address challenges related to competition, relationships, identity, and life outside athletics. Athletes deserve mental health support just as they deserve care for their physical health.

At Bloom & Breathe Therapy, we support teen and adult athletes ages 14 and up. Whether you participate recreationally, play on a school team, compete in college, or pursue higher levels of competition, therapy can offer support tailored to your experiences and goals.

Athletes can seek support for performance anxiety, perfectionism, burnout, confidence challenges, injury recovery, or changes in their athletic career. Therapy also provides room to discuss concerns beyond sports, including relationships, school, work, and personal identity. You do not need to wait for a crisis to reach out.

Therapy may help you understand the thoughts and pressures that make competition feel overwhelming. Sessions can focus on coping with anxiety, responding to mistakes, and developing a more flexible approach to expectations. Together, we can explore ways to support your well-being while you pursue your athletic goals.

Yes. Counseling can support athletes coping with frustration, uncertainty, changes in identity, or fear of re-injury. Mental health care can complement physical rehabilitation and help you navigate returning to sport in collaboration with your medical team.

Therapy offers space to explore what has changed, how current demands affect you, and what you need moving forward. We can discuss boundaries, rest, motivation, and whether your participation still aligns with your values. You can explore these questions without pressure to make an immediate decision.

Therapy can help you examine expectations, respond to setbacks with greater self-compassion, and build a sense of worth beyond results. You might explore thoughts such as, “I can’t make a mistake,” or “Everyone is counting on me.” The goal is to help you pursue what matters while making room for your own needs.

We begin by discussing what brings you to therapy, your experience in sports, and how current challenges affect your life. Together, we identify goals and develop a personalized plan. You do not need to have everything figured out before your first appointment

For athletes ages 14–17, sessions may address competition pressure, school responsibilities, friendships, family expectations, and confidence. Therapy is tailored to the teen’s developmental needs and goals. At the beginning of care, we explain confidentiality, its limits, and how parents or caregivers may be involved.

Therapy can provide support as you navigate changes in routine, community, purpose, or identity. Whether the transition is planned or unexpected, sessions offer space to process your experience and explore what comes next. Your interests, strengths, and sense of self can continue to grow beyond athletics.

Lori Santa Maria, LAC-T treats sports mental health. She offers appointments during weekdays, weeknights, and every other Saturday for in person clients in Mesa, Arizona and to telehealth clients throughout Arizona.