Sport Social Work

Sport can be one of the best parts of a person's life. It can also be one of the hardest. The pressure, the culture and the systems around sport shape how athletes and the people who support them feel, cope and see themselves, often long after the game is over.

I offer sport-informed mental health care for people in the sport world: athletes at every level, retired athletes, coaches, parents, and the staff and volunteers who keep sport running. My work starts from a simple belief: you are a person first. Your wellbeing matters more than your stats, your role or your results.

My background in sport

Sport has been part of my life since I was six years old. I've been an athlete and spent 11 years as a varsity softball coach, and my education is in Human Kinetics as well as Social Work. I know the locker room, the bench, the travel, the early mornings and the weight of expectations. I also know that sport doesn't always get it right.

Understanding the systems around you

As a social worker, I look beyond the individual to the environments that shape them: teams, coaches, families, organizations and sport culture as a whole. Many of the struggles athletes carry, such as anxiety, burnout, perfectionism and feeling like they're only worth what they produce, are reasonable responses to the systems they've been in, not personal failings.

Some of those systems cause real harm. Fear-based coaching, abuse of power, gender-based violence, maltreatment, and cultures that reward silence and "toughing it out" can leave lasting effects. My background in gender-based violence and advocacy work shapes how I hold these experiences: with care, without judgment, and at your pace.

I can support you with:

Stress, anxiety, burnout and mental health concerns connected to sport
Harmful or abusive experiences in sport, including coaching-related trauma
Athletic identity, and who you are beyond your sport
Injury, setbacks and the grief that can come with them
Transitions: deselection, changing teams, retirement and life after sport
Pressure from coaches, parents, teammates or yourself
Support for parents, coaches and sport staff navigating their own roles and stress

How we work together

My approach is holistic and trauma-informed. It honours the connection between mind, body and the systems that shape us, and draws on EMDR, CBT, mindfulness, parts work and somatic approaches. Therapy sessions are virtual and available across Ontario.

Advocacy, education and workshops

I believe sport can be safer, healthier and more human, and that change has to happen at the system level too. Alongside my clinical work, I'm a longtime advocate in gender-based violence prevention and community safety, and a certified Wen-Do Women's Self-Defence Instructor.

I offer workshops, education and training across Canada for teams, coaches, parents, sport organizations and community groups. Past and current work includes:

Wen-Do women's self-defence workshops
Gender-based violence and sexual violence prevention and response
Mental health promotion and wellness for teams and workplaces
Mental health support and education for first responders
Athlete mental health and building healthier sport cultures

Book a consultation to talk about therapy, or reach out to bring a workshop to your team or organization.