Sports Psychology

Dr. Kim begins by getting to know you as a whole person, not just an athlete. She explores your athletic history, competitive goals, training environment, and the mental and emotional challenges that are affecting your performance. This holistic assessment allows her to understand how factors such as anxiety, self-doubt, perfectionism, burnout, or life stressors outside of sport may be holding you back from performing at your best.

Using evidence-based techniques drawn from CBT, mindfulness, and performance psychology, Dr. Kim helps athletes develop practical mental skills. These include pre-performance routines, visualization and mental rehearsal, focus and concentration strategies, self-talk management, and techniques for managing competitive anxiety. She tailors these tools to your specific sport, position, and performance context so that they feel natural and actionable rather than abstract.

Dr. Kim is particularly attuned to the challenges that come with athletic transitions, whether you are navigating a return from injury, adjusting to a new team or coaching staff, managing the pressures of recruitment and selection, or facing the identity shift that comes with retirement from sport. She provides a safe, nonjudgmental space where athletes can explore vulnerabilities that they may not feel comfortable sharing with coaches or teammates.

For younger athletes, Dr. Kim works closely with parents and coaches to ensure that the competitive environment supports healthy development. She addresses issues such as performance anxiety in youth sports, the balance between academics and athletics, and the early signs of burnout or overtraining. Her goal is to help athletes at every level develop a healthy, sustainable relationship with competition that serves them well beyond their playing years.