Who is Natascha Wesch?
Natascha Wesch is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant, a Certified Mental Health Professional and a Canadian Certified Counsellor. She is registered with the Ontario Association of Mental Health Professionals (OAMHP) and the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), and she is a certified professional member of the Canadian Sport Psychology Association (CSPA). Natascha is also a Sport-Informed Care Provider with the Canadian Centre for Mental Health and Sport (CCMHS) and services the mental health and performance of our country's competitive and high-performance athletes and coaches. Natascha specializes in Mental Performance Training, Counselling and Mental Health; she works with athletes, coaches and performing artists of all ages, backgrounds and levels. Natascha is fluent in French and English, and welcomes Francophone and English-speaking clients to her practice.
Natascha's unique combination of her education, athletic, coaching and administrative backgrounds enables her to provide a holistic approach to support her clients in the areas of mental performance, counselling and mental health. Natascha's lived experiences give her a thorough understanding of the demands of high performance sport and competition.
Academic Background and Career
From an academic perspective, Natascha has a multi-disciplinary background. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Exercise Science specializing in Athletic Therapy from Concordia University (Montreal, Canada). Natascha obtained a Master's degree in Exercise Physiology and Biochemistry, and earned a second Master's Degree in Counselling Psychology, both from the University of Western Ontario (London, Canada). Also from the University of Western Ontario, Natascha obtained her Doctorate in Sport Psychology specializing in imagery and sport injury rehabilitation. Lastly, Natascha completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Health and Rehabilitation Psychology at McMaster University (Hamilton, Canada).
In addition to spending the majority of her time in her private consulting and counselling practice, Natascha is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Health Science at the University of Western Ontario where she's taught since 1998 in the areas of Rehabilitation Psychology, Sport and Exercise Psychology, Group Dynamics, and Kinesiology.
Elite Athlete, Coach and Sport Administrator
A former international rugby player, varsity hockey player, and competitive gymnast, Natascha understands first-hand the qualities, characteristics and mental skills required for peak performance. After dabbling in numerous sports while growing up, eventually Natascha found her niche and represented Canada as an athlete in the sport of rugby on the world stage for over a decade, where she competed in numerous international test matches and two Rugby World Cups. Natascha also served as the Female Athlete Representative on the board of directors for Rugby Canada. Natascha continues to be involved in sport as an athlete, competing in triathlons, adventure races, trail and road running, as well as playing squash, hockey, and taking part in adult gymnastics.
As a coach, Natascha was involved at the high school, club, provincial, national, and international levels. She established and developed one of the most successful university rugby programs in Canada, was instrumental in the development of junior women's representative rugby in Ontario and Canada, and led Canada's National Senior Women's Team to the first ever Women's Rugby 7s World Cup in Dubai. Also, Natascha has coached at the grassroots level in competitive gymnastics and minor hockey. Natascha has been involved in sport administration serving as the Director of Women's Rugby on the board of directors for Rugby Ontario, and has served on several other boards for various sport organizations. In addition, Natascha has mentored elite high-performance coaches through the National Coaching Institute Ontario's Advanced Coaching Diploma Program.