Sports Psychology therapists in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Browse Sports Psychology therapists in Rancho Santa Margarita, California. Compare credentials, specialties and therapeutic approach. Contact a therapist to learn more.
Sports
Dr. Sharareh Namjoo
Marriage and Family Therapist, Doctor of Psychology
Athletic performance involves more than physical ability. Pressure, perfectionism, fear of failure, self-doubt, injury, and difficulty recovering from mistakes can interfere with confidence, focus, and enjoyment of the sport.
I help athletes strengthen mental resilience, regulate performance anxiety, improve concentration, and develop a healthier inner dialogue. Using approaches such as CBT, mindfulness, visualization, and hypnotherapy, we work to build confidence, support recovery from setbacks, and create a balanced identity that extends beyond performance and results.
26 Years Experience
Online in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA (Online Only)
Sports
Dr. Mitch Keil, PsyD
Psychologist, Keil Psych Group
Athletes often spend enormous amounts of time training their bodies while giving far less attention to the mind that's actually directing them.
Sports psychology can help with performance anxiety, confidence, focus, motivation, perfectionism, fear of failure, recovering from mistakes, and performing under pressure. But our approach also goes deeper. Sometimes the thing interfering with performance isn't simply a lack of mental skills. There may be something psychologically meaningful happening beneath the surface.
For some athletes, performance becomes inseparable from self-worth. A mistake doesn't just feel like a mistake—it feels like something is wrong with you. Others become overly controlled, lose their instincts under pressure, struggle with expectations from coaches or parents, or find that the harder they try to perform, the further they get from the relaxed and instinctive state where they perform best.
Our approach to sports psychology combines performance-focused strategies with psychodynamic and depth-oriented therapy. We work on the practical side—focus, emotional regulation, confidence, visualization, resilience, and performing under pressure—while also understanding the deeper patterns that may be getting in your way.
We also work with athletes navigating injury, burnout, transitions, loss of confidence, and the difficult question of who you are when you're not competing or performing at your best.
The goal isn't just better performance. It's greater psychological freedom—the ability to compete hard, take risks, recover from failure, trust yourself, and perform without your entire sense of self riding on the outcome.
16 Years Experience
In-Person Near Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Online in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Sports
New Beginnings Christian Counseling
Marriage and Family Therapist, MA, LMFT
Athletes and active individuals often face pressure, performance anxiety, burnout, or challenges with motivation and focus. In sports psychology counseling, we help clients develop mental resilience, set achievable goals, and manage stress both on and off the field. By combining evidence-based psychological strategies with Christ-centered guidance, athletes gain tools to improve performance, maintain balance, and cultivate confidence, focus, and emotional well-being in all areas of life.
15 Years Experience
In-Person Near Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Online in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Sports
Dr. Sari Shepphird
Psychologist, Ph.D.
Dr. Sari is beyond an expert in sports psychology and recognized as an award winning leader in sport & performance psychology. She works with athletes, coaches, teams and performers from every premiere sport. She works with World Champions, Olympians, elite athletes, and rising stars from nearly every sport imaginable.
30 Years Experience
Online in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Sports
Carrie Gauthier
Hypnotherapist, Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, CCHt
Mental rehearsal is a core tenant of my approach to hypnosis. My motivational and success-oriented outcome hypnotic programming uses a lot of future goals visualized along with elevated emotions to mentally/emotionally rehearse the desired outcome. The subconscious responds to feelings and images very strongly and this is why so many are able to manifest what they desire, it is through mastery of this hypnotic method. We may rely on pineal gland breathing to change our chemical makeup in minutes from a low-frequency emotion to an elevated state.
2 Years Experience
Online in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA (Online Only)
Sports Psychology therapists in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA Statistics
Sports Psychology therapists in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA average 19 years of experience and charge around $226 per session. 100% offer online sessions. The top treatment approaches are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) (59%), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) (44%), and Behavioral Therapy (41%).
Average years in practice
19 Years Experience
Average cost per session
$226
Accept insurance
33%
Offer sliding scale
59%
Gender ID
| 55% |
Male |
|
| 33% |
Female |
|
| 6% |
Gender Fluid |
|
| 6% |
Non-Binary |
|
Session Type
| 67% |
In Person and Online |
|
| 33% |
Online Only |
|
Top Treatment Approaches
| 59% | Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) |
| 44% | Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) |
| 41% | Behavioral Therapy |
| 41% | Psychodynamic Therapy |
| 41% | Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) |
| 33% | Eclectic Therapy |
| 33% | Gestalt Therapy |
Ages Served
| 96% | Adult |
| 78% | Young Adult |
| 59% | Teen |
| 56% | Senior |
| 30% | Children |
Client Focus
| 74% | Men |
| 63% | Women |
| 52% | LGBTQ+ |
| 48% | Black / African American |
| 48% | Christian |