About Catherine

Catherine Broadhead (Cat) is a certified Sport and Health Psychology Consultant by the Association for Applied Sport Psychology and a nationally certified counselor (NCC) by the National Board of Certified Counselors. She earned a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology with a specialization in Sport and Health Psychology from The Adler School of Psychology in Chicago. Throughout her life, Cat has been an academic and involved in sports. Cat has always been interested in leadership and intrigued by how emotions influence learning and performance. Cat majored in psychology at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio where she is an active volunteer. She earned her Master of Elementary Education from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, the top rated education program in the country. She has taught elementary school in public, private, and charter schools, and started a gifted and talented program in a charter school. During Business School at Cornell University’s Johnson School, Cat worked for Cornell Outdoor Education’s Teambuilding Program. In the classroom and on the ropes course, Cat realized how perfectionism and anxiety influence performance. Now Cat specializes in counseling adults and children in sports and high stress situations.

You’re worth being brave.

The above are the words of Brene Brown, bestselling author and research professor. If you have not heard of Brene Brown’s work, visit her website, where you can learn more about her eight books and her work on shame and … Continue reading

Three Breaths

Do you feel stressed, anxious, or too mellow? Breathing can help you relax, get energized, or prepare for sleep. Watch these videos to help you learn breathing techniques. CALM People mostly use breathing techniques to calm them and reduce stress. … Continue reading

Resilience: Six Steps to Staying Strong.

APA Suggestions for Resilience

The American Psychological Association recommends these ways to build resilience. Here is an edited overview of their suggestions.

Make connections. 

Accept help and support from those who care about you and will listen to you.  This strengthens resilience.  Helping others also benefits the helper.

Avoid seeing crises as insurmountable problems. 

You can’t change the fact that highly stressful events happen, but you can change how you interpret and respond to these events.

Accept that change is a part of living

Certain goals may no longer be attainable.  Accept circumstances that cannot be changed to help you focus on circumstances that you can alter.

Move toward your goals. 

Develop some realistic goals. Do something regularly – build healthy habits.  

Think– “What is one thing I know I can accomplish today that helps me move in the direction I want to go?”

Maintain a hopeful outlook nurture a positive view of yourself.

Expect that good things will happen in your life. 

Visualize what you want, rather than worrying about what you fear.

Talk to yourself positively.  Interrupt doubting thoughts and then cheer yourself on!

Take care of yourself.  

Pay attention to your own needs and feelings. 

Engage in activities that you enjoy and find relaxing. 

Exercise regularly. 

Take time for quiet and relaxation if you need it.

Taking care of yourself helps to keep your mind and body primed to deal with situations that require resilience.

Have faith and carry on!

Find out how your performance can benefit from working with Summit Performance Consulting LLC.

Call for a free consultation.

Info@SummitPerformanceConsulting.com

561-325-8363

Using the 9 Mental Skills When Life Throws you a Curveball

Jack Lesyk at the Ohio Center for Sport Psychology defines nine mental skills of successful athletes: Choose and maintain a positive attitude.Maintain a high level of self-motivation.Set high, realistic goals.Deal effectively with people.Use positive self-talk.Use positive mental imagery.Manage anxiety effectively.Manage … Continue reading