As the coach of a competitive girls soccer team, in which most players were new to competitive soccer, it was important for our coaching staff to follow Soccer Canada's LTAD model to help our players grow in the Technical, Physical, Social-Emotional and Psychological categories. We lacked the resources and structure to help our athletes develop their psychological and mental preparation skills, and thus we brought on board a Mental Performance Consultant to help support us in this area. Through the process, our athletes were able to do a lot of 'growing' in a short period of time and be competitive in our league. It was important for us to have someone work with the team who understood sport from personal experience and who had the required academic training to bring a comprehensive knowledge of athlete development. Working with a Mental Performance Consultant provided mentoring and development for both the athletes and the coaching staff. We were able to reach our athletes in a fun and informative way, while also enabling the team to develop transferable life skills. Through mental skills training and counselling, the young women grew into confident, resilient, and capable athletes who thrived in our environment. It was such a positive experience that we made this part of our program for over four years. Bringing on a mental health professional with experience in sport helped our athletes grow and reach another level of performance on and off the pitch.

The first time I was introduced to the benefits of working with a Mental Performance Coach (MPC) in a meaningful way was through my involvement with Canada Basketball. The MPC helped athletes deal with the perceived pressure and anxiety of National Team camps and introduced the athletes to national team culture while setting the expectations for work in between formal camps. With this first-hand experience, I knew that when I had the opportunity to run my own USPORTS program I would include a Mental Performance Coach as a major part of our Integrated Support team. Some of the observed benefits I have found from having a MPC as an integral part of our team are: (1) Improved safety net for players when/if they are struggling. Inevitably in competitive sports, especially when it is combined with top-notch academics, people are going to need assistance. (2) Improved communication between players and coaching staff, especially in times of conflict. There are times (as a man in my early 40s) that I can empathize but not fully relate to the players, which can create breakdowns in communication. Working with a MPC can often help bridge the gap and mend fences when things go wrong. (3) Greater overall connection to team culture and themes. By involving our MPC while building and reinforcing our team culture has helped make messages 'stickier' in addition to providing creative ways to make abstract concepts more understandable and achievable. (4) Improved on-court performance related to confidence and motivation. So much of sport surrounds the idea of self-belief and self-discipline, and by having a MPC we can better develop Self-Discipline. It also helps us develop Self-Belief even when the player is not getting the reward of playing time, scholarship money or public recognition of performance. Overall, by working with a professional MPC, we can structure our Mental Performance training based on what the players need and include it in our periodized yearly plan. Rather than teaching only what we feel comfortable with, we can lean on the MPC's expertise and structure our training in a meaningful way. Some of the areas that have been a big success with our team have been receiving coaching, developing a growth mindset, reframing situations, imagery, developing healthy habits, team building, self-compassion and so many more. The reason why we continue to invest in having a team MPC is because our athletes have shown that when they are equipped with the proper mental skills they get more enjoyment from the student-athlete experience and perform better on and off-court. Dealing with the pressures and anxiety that, by nature, come from competitive situations allows our athletes to better achieve their potential and enjoy the experience.

Having systematic and professional workshops delivered to our athletes had a tremendous impact on our program, the Volleyball Canada Centre of Excellence (VCCE). It's important for those working with the Program to relate to the athletes and create interesting and meaningful dialogue; this allows the athletes to verbalize their thoughts and make significant changes in their mental approach to volleyball. In a sport with so much time to think, mental training has drastically helped the athletes think about the right things that will result in positive changes and ultimately, improve performance. As the Director of the VCCE London it was important to provide our athletes with training in all areas of the game, not just the technical and physical. Having a Mental Skills Coach work directly with the athletes and coaches was a big part of our Centre's success.

We had attempted to implement a Mental Skills Training (MST) program into our varsity rugby program on our own but we were not seeing the results. We explored working with a professional consultant with expertise and experience in sport and mental health, and the process yielded enormous benefits for our players individually as well as for our whole program collectively. We were able to develop a common language around MST, as well as a common understanding of the key principles. In simple terms, the process got us "on the same page" through activities that engaged our athletes. We were systematically introduced to a variety of tools and strategies that were highly applicable to our athletes' needs. As the players began to implement these tools and strategies, the mental performance consultant was available to guide the athletes on their own MST paths. We gained a strong common understanding of MST and the individual consultations for athletes provided targeted feedback. With a professional onboard our MST component of our program moved from a place of uncertainty and disconnectedness to a place of clarity and action. We learned what strong mental skills looked like and we knew how to work on and improve the application of these skills.

It was important for our group to have a mental performance coach who could tailor enjoyable sessions specific to the needs and interests of the athletes. The athletes were guided through various exercises to reflect on their approach to competition and the athletes were provided tools to enable athletes reach their ideal performance state. The athletes not only appeared more confident and relaxed, they raced with more confidence.

We were looking for a Mental Performance Consultant to work with our players to develop mental skills; we were very impressed with the MPC's personalized approach, attention to detail, organization, and positive rapport that was developed with our players in this short time [2010-2013 seasons]. Our players responded very well to the mental skills training and viewed the MPC as a trusted advisor. They key was to work with an individual who was always professional, respectful, and aware of our players needs both on and off the ice; it was a pleasure to work with the MPC.

I must admit that at first I was skeptical about mental training and what it would bring to our team. However, in the first meeting with the mental performance consultant I was convinced to have an open mind and judge for myself after a trial period. It didn't take long to see the results and we brought on board the MPC to work with our Western women's hockey team in my time as the head coach of the team. Working with a team MPC brought many positive changes to our team: One was enhancing team confidence; the second was a focus on process vs. outcomes; and the third was gaining personal support to help me become a better coach.

Working with a mental performance coach with a vast experience and knowledge of mental skills training as an athlete, coach, and consultant was a valuable resource for our team in preparation for National Championships. Using of unique analogies to explain mental skills allowed the athletes to develop and create their own mental skills repertoire. In fact, by the end of the summer the athletes had been exposed to so many different strategies as a team that each athlete had developed their own mental skills routine and were aware of which strategies were most effective for them. The end result was a more unified, focused, and well-rounded team able to adapt to various situations/issues.

My experience working with a mental performance consultant was through a workshop presentation delivered to my professional association. I have described to others my experience of the presentation like this: It was as if someone had opened a door in my mind and allowed fresh winds to blow out all the cobwebs. As a physical therapist, I returned to my clients invigorated and inspired and more prepared to allow my clients to make an emotional investment in their own well being. I would like to thank you for opening that door.

As the captain of the Women's 7s National Rugby Team I had added responsibilities and stresses to lead the team and also perform well. I used many of the mental skills techniques taught to us by our mental performance coach to help me concentrate and focus come game time. The techniques were useful in application and the mental imagery helped me envision what I wanted to achieve on the field and more importantly what I wanted to get from those experiences. To this day I still use some of the tools the MPC taught me and I apply them to my every day life.

As head coach of competitive hockey team, I was looking for results, and with the help of a Mental Performance Consultant, that's exactly what we received. With the mental skills in place helping us with adversity and allowing us to believe in ourselves, we changed our attitude in all concepts. Games, practices and everyday living skills were adjusted; the players learned very quickly what they individually brought to the team. All the adjustments and steps that we developed with our team MPC allowed our team to achieve our common goals in only one season.

I worked with our team's mental performance consultant for about 5 years while on the National Team. My teammates and I learned and developed many skills, one of the most important being how to mentally prepare before, during, and after rugby matches. We also learned how to develop imagery skills that I ended up using before every game I played. I know the things that I have learned from working with a mental performance consultant guided me into the player that I became and were very influential in my rugby career.