Evidence-based counseling for athletes · Hanover, NH & telehealth
Athlete Mental Health Counseling Near Dartmouth College
You can care deeply about your sport and still struggle with anxiety, OCD, perfectionism, burnout, or the weight of other people’s expectations. I provide mental health counseling for high school, college, and competitive athletes in Hanover, NH, including Dartmouth College student-athletes. You deserve support as a whole person—not only as an athlete.
At Treadwell Counseling and Performance, PLLC, I provide individualized mental health counseling for college, high school, and other competitive athletes. My work combines evidence-based clinical approaches with firsthand experience in college athletics as a former NCAA Division I athlete and collegiate ice hockey coach.
In-person counseling in downtown Hanover, near Dartmouth College. Telehealth counseling for eligible clients physically located in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Florida, or Colorado, subject to applicable authorization and clinical suitability.
Mental health beyond the scoreboard
Challenges athletes don’t always talk about
The demands of sport can intersect with concerns that affect school, work, relationships, identity, and day-to-day well-being. Some athletes appear successful on the outside while privately feeling overwhelmed.
Anxiety and fear of evaluation
Persistent worry about mistakes, playing time, selection, expectations, or disappointing coaches, teammates, and family.
Perfectionism and self-criticism
Rigid standards, relentless comparison, overtraining driven by fear, and difficulty feeling satisfied even after strong performances.
OCD and intrusive thoughts
Unwanted thoughts, reassurance seeking, checking, mental rituals, and patterns that consume time or interfere with life inside and outside sport.
Burnout and emotional exhaustion
Loss of enjoyment, constant pressure, competing demands, and the feeling that your schedule leaves no room to recover.
Injury, setbacks, and transitions
Changes in role, recovery uncertainty, deselection, retirement from sport, and questions about identity and belonging.
Mood, relationships, and life stress
Low mood, isolation, conflict, academic pressure, and difficulty finding space for a life outside competition.
Individualized clinical care
Evidence-based therapy with an understanding of sport
Counseling begins with understanding your concerns and goals—not assuming that every challenge is caused by athletics. Treatment approaches are chosen collaboratively and adapted to your needs.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Identify patterns of thoughts and behaviors that contribute to anxiety, depression, or self-criticism, and practice strategies that support flexibility and more effective coping.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Work toward values-driven choices, build psychological flexibility, and change how you respond to difficult thoughts, emotions, and pressure.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
When OCD is present, ERP can help you approach uncertainty and feared situations while reducing compulsive responses and reassurance seeking.
Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT)
Develop a more compassionate response to self-criticism, shame, and the pressure to be perfect. CFT uses practices that support self-kindness, emotional regulation, and a sense of inner safety, especially when mistakes or setbacks trigger harsh self-judgment.
For additional details on specialized treatment, explore OCD therapy using CBT, ERP, and I-CBT and anxiety and perfectionism counseling.
The athlete is a whole person
You don’t have to earn support through performance
It can be hard to talk about what you’re experiencing when you’re used to being dependable, driven, and resilient. Therapy creates space to explore what is happening without measuring your worth by statistics, rankings, or outcomes.
We can work on the challenges that affect you as a person and, when relevant, how they intersect with your sport, relationships, academics, and future.
Areas we might explore
- Identity and self-worth outside athletics
- Boundaries and competing obligations
- Responding to mistakes and setbacks
- Uncertainty about roles and future plans
- Relationships with teammates and coaches
- Transitions into or out of competitive sport
Two related, distinct services
Mental health counseling or mental performance coaching?
Mental Health Counseling
Clinical assessment and treatment for concerns such as anxiety disorders, OCD, depression, significant distress, and difficulties interfering with daily life. The focus is your mental health and overall functioning.
This page describes mental health counseling.
Mental Performance Coaching
Skill development related to attention, confidence, preparation, performance routines, communication, and responding to pressure. This is a separate service and is not a substitute for clinical mental health treatment.
Not sure which service fits? We can discuss your goals and the appropriate scope of care when you reach out.
For high school, Dartmouth and other college athletes
Support for high school and collegiate athletes
Balancing school, practice, travel, competition, relationships, and future plans can leave little room to process what you’re going through. High school athletes may also be navigating recruiting, college decisions, and growing expectations. Mental health counseling can help you address personal challenges without reducing your identity to your role on a team.
My office at 12 South Street, Suite 2D, Hanover, NH 03755 is within walking distance of Dartmouth College. I also work with eligible telehealth clients in other locations where I am authorized to provide counseling.
Whether you compete in high school, NCAA, club, or another competitive setting, we can discuss whether my services are a good fit.
Perspective informed by experience
As a former Dartmouth varsity hockey player and collegiate head coach, I understand the culture of college athletics firsthand. My approach integrates that experience with professional mental health training and an individualized, evidence-based approach.
In-person and virtual appointments
Athlete counseling in New Hampshire and via telehealth in five states
In person: Hanover, NH, serving Dartmouth College students and the Upper Valley region of New Hampshire and Vermont.
Telehealth: Eligible clients who are physically located in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Florida, or Colorado may be able to receive psychotherapy, subject to applicable licensing or registration requirements and clinical suitability. Please contact me to confirm availability.
This can be an option for high school, college, and other competitive athletes living, studying, or training in those states, including those attending schools outside the Hanover area.
For Dartmouth student-athletes: I am an out-of-network provider for the Dartmouth Student Health Insurance Plan and can submit eligible counseling claims for reimbursement. Depending on your benefits and deductible, your final cost may be only part of the session fee; reimbursement is not guaranteed. Read the Dartmouth student insurance details or contact my office with questions.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to be a college athlete to work with you?
No. I work with high school, collegiate, and other competitive athletes, as well as adolescents and adults who are not athletes. We can discuss your needs and whether counseling is appropriate.
Can I seek counseling even if my sport is going well?
Yes. Athletes may seek counseling for OCD, anxiety, mood concerns, relationships, identity, stress, or other challenges regardless of how they are performing.
Is therapy the same as mental skills training?
No. Counseling focuses on clinical concerns and overall well-being. Mental performance coaching focuses on performance-related skills. They are separate services with different goals and professional boundaries.
Will my coach or athletic department be involved?
Individual counseling is confidential within applicable legal and professional limits. Any coordination with others would be discussed with you and handled under appropriate consent and confidentiality requirements.
Can you see athletes in Vermont or Massachusetts?
Yes. Telehealth counseling is available to eligible clients physically located in Vermont and Massachusetts, as well as New Hampshire, Florida, and Colorado, subject to applicable authorization and clinical suitability.
Support for who you are, not just how you perform
Whether you’re navigating anxiety, OCD, perfectionism, burnout, or a difficult transition, I’d welcome a conversation about whether counseling could be helpful.
Treadwell Counseling and Performance, PLLC · Hanover, New Hampshire