University of Manitoba Athletics

Sport psychology

As athletes, you put your body on the line every day. You spend a lot of time in the gym, train hard, push through adversity, and show up to improve every single day. This is the norm- it’s what is expected. You might not think twice when you are impacted by overuse or injury- you follow the rehab protocols and get your body back in shape, ready to perform again.

We should expect the same for our mental and emotional health, but it’s usually not the case. We often are told to ‘suck it up’ or that it’s ‘not a big deal.’ We call ourselves weak if we have trouble keeping up, or think there is something wrong with us for struggling. The truth is everyone, including student-athletes can experience difficulties and challenges in their daily life. Student-athletes manage a lot of pressure, expectations, goals and deadlines. Rather than expecting that nothing will ever impact you, creating a plan and calling in supports can be a helpful way to manage whatever challenges come your way.

The Sport Psychology team is here to support you whether you are looking to level up your game, cope with life stress, or deal with serious mental health concerns. We believe that in order for you to perform your best, you need to be and feel your best.

Information for student-athletes:

Individual sessions: Private and confidential, these virtual or in-person sessions are with you and a provider. You’ll discuss what is impacting you and co-create a plan to help you build tools and strategies to help you be your best in and out of sport.

Group or team sessions: Single or multi-session plans to help with team culture/unity, mental health and well-being (e.g., emotion regulation, self-care, mentally healthy habits), and performance strategies (e.g., visualization, effective relaxation, self-talk) can be initiated by coaching staff or athletes.

For confidential support, please fill out the intake form below:
   

Additional supports and resources for student-athletes:

Bisons Crisis Response Plan

Bison Sports UM Learn

UM Student Supports

UM Student Counselling Centre

UM Sexual Violence Resource Centre

Bisons+ Academic Support
 

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Bisons sport psychology team

Cheryl Coulter (Canadian Certified Counsellor, CCC (she/her) comes from a background in teaching and coaching, having made the shift into counselling and mental performance in sport in 2021. She completed her Master's in Education with a specialization in counselling psychology at the University of Manitoba. She draws on her experiences having been a competitive ultimate frisbee player for over 25 years, playing and captaining at both the national and world level, to work with high-performance athletes in challenging environments. 

She currently serves national athletes, university teams, and has been supporting Bison athletes since 2022. Her passion is helping people who are feeling scared, stuck, anxious or unsure in any part of their lives feel better, confident and in control. It's tough to perform at one's best if one isn't at one's best in other areas of life. She guides individuals, teams and leaders in developing strategies that will both overcome performance anxiety and promote life-long mental health. Her goal is to help clients become the best version of themselves, developing their sense of identity and augmenting their strengths. She believes in a holistic approach -- the connection between mind and body is essential. Cheryl's client focused approach supports each athlete while together they develop a personal blueprint -- using what is important to them, they are empowered to create new patterns in their lives and come to their own conclusions in their journey towards transformation and balance. 

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