Neuroaffirmative Elite Sports Coaching
Elite sports coaching is for athletes, across all ages, who are also committed to finding ways to manage their neurodiversity. Living with neurodiversity can present distinctive challenges throughout your athletic journey, impacting various facets such as engagement in practice, acquisition of skills, communication with coaches and teammates, performance in competition, relationship building, and managing the balance between academics and sports. Our Neuroaffirmative Elite Sports Coaching program is designed to empower athletes who are neurodivergent, assisting them in refining existing skills and nurturing growth in alignment with their goals.
Tara Doherty, our Elite sports coach, is a retired world-level ice dancer who collaborates with you through a neuroaffirmative approach to focus on strengths and address concerns around performance on and off the ice/field/court etc. She explores how neurodivergent traits might influence progress and performance. Together, we establish clear objectives and devise systematic plans to overcome potential barriers, ensuring lasting and meaningful improvements.
Moreover, we acknowledge the dual responsibilities faced by elite athletes, whether navigating the demands of academics and sports as a teenager or managing a busy schedule as an adult. Our coaching extends to provide support for your academic pursuits alongside your athletic endeavours.
Here are some common questions we are asked about our Neuroaffirmative Elite Sport Coaching program, along with our answers.
Neuroaffirmative Elite Sports Coaching, with a focus on supporting Neurodiverse athletes, is a highly effective intervention for enhancing confidence and facilitating goal attainment in neurodiverse clients, spanning across children, teenagers, and adults.
Neuroaffirmative Elite Sports Coaching is particularly effective for neurodiverse clients as it provides structured support in systematically addressing goals and expectations. Coaches assist clients in identifying concrete steps, objectively estimating timeframes for task completion, brainstorming effective strategies, establishing timelines, and conducting regular check-ins to assess progress and refine approaches. Additionally, the coaching process fosters valuable skills in teamwork and time management, essential for balancing academic commitments with sports participation. Through this tailored coaching approach, neurodiverse individuals can enhance their ability to complete tasks, excel in sports, and effectively manage the demands of both school and athletics.
- Understanding neurodiversity: Exploring how neurodivergent traits manifest and how they can impact various aspects of athletic performance and personal development.
- Identifying strengths and challenges: Recognizing the unique strengths that neurodivergent individuals bring to their sport, as well as addressing any challenges or barriers they may encounter.
- Goal setting and planning: Establishing clear objectives for athletic and personal development, and devising sequential plans to achieve them while considering the individual’s neurodiversity.
- Communication and teamwork: Enhancing communication skills with coaches and teammates, and fostering positive relationships within the athletic environment.
- Coping strategies and self-regulation: Developing strategies to manage symptoms associated with neurodiversity, such as attention difficulties or impulsivity, to optimize performance and well-being.
- Balancing academics and sports: Providing support and strategies for managing the dual demands of academic commitments and athletic training.
In Neuroaffirmative Elite Sports Coaching for Neurodivergent Elite athletes, the initial session focuses on collaboratively identifying personal strengths and reviewing challenges that hinder successful problem-solving. This session also addresses common misconceptions and provides updated information about neurodivergence, ensuring athletes are well-informed about their unique needs. Together with the coach, athletes craft meaningful goals and develop action plans to achieve them.
Here’s an overview of what athletes can expect in our Neurodivergent Elite Sports Coaching Program:
- Identifying 3 to 4 significant goals aligned with the athlete’s aspirations.
- Breaking down these goals into manageable steps to be accomplished over a defined timeframe, typically a week or two.
- Learning to formulate clear and achievable weekly objectives.
- Exploring organizational tools tailored to support the athlete in staying focused and on track with their goals.
- Utilizing critical problem-solving skills to overcome obstacles hindering progress.
- Identifying effective strategies applicable to various aspects of athletic performance and daily life.
Sport can be incredibly important for individuals who are neurodivergent for several reasons:
- Physical health: Engaging in sports activities promotes physical fitness, which is essential for overall health and well-being. Regular exercise can help individuals manage weight, reduce the risk of chronic illnesses, and improve cardiovascular health.
- Mental health: Participation in sports has been linked to improved mental health outcomes, including reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression. Physical activity releases endorphins, which are natural mood lifters, and can provide a sense of accomplishment and confidence.
- Social interaction: Sports offer opportunities for individuals to connect with others who share similar interests and passions. Team sports, in particular, provide a structured environment for developing social skills, such as communication, cooperation, and teamwork.
- Self-esteem and confidence: Achieving success in sports, whether through mastering a new skill or winning a game, can boost self-esteem and confidence. For neurodivergent individuals who may face challenges in other areas of life, sports can serve as a source of validation and empowerment.
- Structure and routine: Engaging in regular sports activities provides structure and routine to daily life, which can be beneficial for individuals with neurodivergent conditions. Having a consistent schedule can help with time management, organization, and reducing anxiety.
- Sensory integration: Many sports activities involve sensory stimulation, such as the tactile feedback from handling equipment or the proprioceptive input from moving the body. For individuals with sensory processing differences, sports can provide opportunities for sensory integration and regulation.
Overall, participation in sports can contribute to the holistic well-being of neurodivergent individuals by promoting physical health, supporting mental health, facilitating social interaction, enhancing self-esteem, providing structure, and addressing sensory needs.
At Possibilities, we recommend booking an initial block of 16 to 20 sessions, with a session happening once per week or once every two weeks. Usually it’s best to start at a once-a-week pace to support consistent reflection and practice right from the start. There is no requirement for upfront payment, and you can discontinue or cancel sessions at any point with sufficient notice to the team. Booking 16 to 20 sessions in advance ensures that consistent days and times with the same coach or therapist are reserved for you. Sessions can be adjusted and staggered as needed to best suit your schedule, and your coach or therapist will be available to support you with any scheduling questions or changes. Each session within the block builds upon the last, starting with a progress check from the previous week. Successes and challenges are reviewed, and new strategies are devised through collaborative discussion for future improvements. Structured sessions and blocks of reserved time will allow you to set clear goals and achieve them.
Yes! Certainly you can continue with additional sessions after your initial block of 16 to 20 appointments. The next steps in your treatment plan can be discussed with your coach or therapist towards the end of your first booking block.
Sessions typically happen once a week, every one to two weeks. More than two weeks between sessions will make it difficult to determine which weekly goals were met, and which ones need to be revised. Attending an appointment once a week, or once every two weeks, will help you to monitor change at a steady pace, and make adjustments relatively quickly so new habits can form with consistent reflection and practice.
Yes, depending on the needs of the clients.
Elite sports coaching at Possibilities is provided by Tara Doherty, our coach who is a retired elite athlete. As such, these services are not covered by OHIP. OSAP grant and bursary funding for eligible students in Ontario may also help cover some coaching costs.
No, you do not need a doctor’s referral to start working with one of our coaches.
The current cost of each coaching session is $200.
For more information about the Possibilities Psychotherapy and Coaching Treatment Service for Neuroaffirmative Elite Sports Coaching, please contact us at info@possibilitiesclinic.com or call 1-833-482-5558.
You can also get started right away by completing our Intake Form. Once this form is received, our Care Coordinator will review your needs, match you to an appropriate clinician, and get back to you with booking options.
