My front-line practice consists of two distinct, but mutually beneficial streams of work, a “mental health” stream and a “sport performance” stream. The information below outlines some important information about each of these streams and how they are distinct.
Mental Health Stream: Mental Health Assessment and Psychotherapy for Children & Adolescents
I am a Registered Social Worker and Psychotherapist that provides mental health assessment and treatment to children and adolescents. This part-time clinical work complements my research program. I have sought advanced training in Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Motivational Interviewing (MI). My work with children, adolescents, and their families is provided out of Locke Psychotherapy Group, which is a fee-for-service mental health assessment, counselling, treatment, and psychotherapy service located in Hamilton, Ontario. I generally work with children and teens between the ages 7 to 17 years who are experiencing significant stress or distress related to conflict (e.g., with parents or peers), perfectionism, worry (e.g., about social situations, being away from parents/caregivers, etc.,) and sadness (e.g., depression). As a general principle, I believe in the importance of involving parents/caregivers in their child or youth’s treatment/psychotherapy, where possible and appropriate.
Sport Performance Stream: Sport Psychology Consulting and Psychological Skills Training for Adolescent Athletes
As a lifetime athlete that has had the chance to compete at the collegiate level, I appreciate the demands that elite and high-performance athletes can experience when trying to manage academics, their social lives, and their performance expectations (as well as the performance expectations of others). Given this information, as a sport psychology consultant and practitioner, this stream of my practice focuses on the assessment and improvement of psychological skills related to enhancing sport performance, sport enjoyment, and sport-related training. This work is accomplished via coaching athletes through the “ELEVATE Sport Psychology Consultation & Psychological Skills Program” which I developed and direct. Similar to the ‘mental health’ stream of my practice, I provide this stream of service at Locke Psychotherapy Group.
It is important to note that while I have the credentials, training, and skills to provide sports psychology consultation to young athletes, as well as mental health counselling and psychotherapy to children and adolescents, one should be aware that there are very important distinctions between these lines of work. If you (or your child) is interested in working with me in either steam, please reach out to me via the Locke Psychotherapy Group Contact Form to see if I am accepting new referrals.