Therapy for Former Athletes
Growing up as a competitive athlete can teach us discipline, resilience and focus, but it can also blur the line between self-worth and performance, body image and results.
When an athletic career ends, we can often find ourselves trying to navigate completely unfamiliar territory. What we may have relied on for markers of success and personal satisfaction may now be gone. This transition can bring grief, relief, confusion and a loss of identity.
My own experiences retiring as a figure skater led me to become a therapist — not just to help others but to be the resource I needed when I was training and transitioning away from competition. Today, I work with individuals who are navigating similar experiences.
Whether you’ve just recently stepped away from your sport or are decades removed, we will help you gain insight into the patterns that once supported your athletic success but may now be causing distress: self-criticism, people-pleasing behaviors or constant striving. You may have built a successful career, relationship or life after athletics and still find yourself wondering what you’re working toward or why achievement no longer feels the way it used to. During our work together, we will explore how the strengths that helped you succeed in athletics can continue to serve you during the current stage of your life.
While working together, we will explore and help you navigate questions, including but not limited to:
“Who am I if I'm not an athlete?”
Identity loss or transition after leaving your sport.
Perfectionism and achievement-based self-worth.
Grief around an athletic identity that is no longer present in your life in the same way.
Difficulty separating your worth from your appearance or performance.
The feeling that you're “never doing enough.”
Helping you discover meaning and purpose in a new career.
“How do I relate to myself and others?”
Navigating the loss of structure, purpose or community after leaving your sport.
Communicating—and knowing—your needs within your interpersonal relationships.
Feeling worthy of loving, supportive relationships.
Improving your relationship with yourself.
“How do I relate to my body?”
Feeling like your body has changed after retirement.
Body image and body dissatisfaction.
Food rules, restriction, guilt or fear around nourishing your body.
Difficulty trusting hunger/fullness cues.
Relearning movement as something enjoyable rather than something you have to earn.
Navigating a body that no longer needs to perform at an elite level.
The goal during our work together isn’t to leave a former identity behind or “fix” you because you are not broken. Instead, we want to integrate your experiences as an athlete and help you make sense of what’s happening inside you, to rebuild trust in yourself and to create a life that feels aligned, fulfilling and whole.