CMPC Mentorship

Ready to reach the gold standard in the field of Sport Psychology?

One question I receive from almost every recent sport psychology graduate I chat with is: “Where do I go from here?”

The path into sport psychology is not as clear-cut as some professions. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to entering the field. Even different degree paths can lead you here.

So often, you graduate with your Master’s degree ready to put it to use, but you have no idea where to go or how to land the job you want. You look at the AASP Career Listings, and the requirements on each posting can make you feel like it will be years before you land the job.

I know because I’ve been there, and this is the experience that countless others have had too.

The best place to start after graduating is by completing your CMPC certification.

Why?

Because this is the gold standard in the field of sport psychology. Moreover, more and more organizations, teams, and schools are recognizing that CMPCs are necessary to fill those positions if their athletes are to receive the best mental performance assistance.

Now, I know that even the CMPC process brings up more questions than answers.

That's why I help all of my mentees navigate this process. I’m there to guide you and ensure that you know your next step at each part of the process. So, you’re never wondering, “Where do I go from here?”

Most importantly, we prepare you for your future career goals and get you started in the field so that you can do what you love: helping athletes with their mental game.

Ready to take the next step? Schedule an info session with me today to learn more about how I can help you kickstart your career in sport psychology.

Meet Your Mentor

Hi Y’all! I’m Heather and I am a Certified Mental Performance Consultant. I’ve spent the last 6 years helping athletes elevate their mindset and reach their goals in and out of sport.

If you are an aspiring CMPC I’m here to tell you I’ve been in your shoes.

When I was looking to get into the field of sport psychology I had a lot more questions than answers.

My sophomore year of college, I discovered sport psychology and I knew it was the path for me. I went to my guidance counselor and told her I wanted to study sport psychology. I asked her what classes I needed to take in order to make this happen. And I got crickets.

Sport Psychology was still new and she didn’t know what the path looked like to get there. Her advice was to double major in psychology and kinesiology.

That was a big no thank you for me.

I trusted my gut and studied Psychology for my undergrad. And decided I’d apply to Sport Psychology grad programs after that.

Now don’t get me wrong, I loved my grad program but…the message often conveyed was that you have to get a PhD if you want to be in this field. And after that your options are to teach, work with a team or work with the military. Oh and good luck with either one of those because it’s competitive!

So when I completed my Master’s degree I didn’t feel like I was actually going to be able to do what I wanted. I felt intimidated to get into the field.

Even though I felt intimidated I knew I needed experience, so I started offering to intern (for free) at organizations I was interested in. This led me to some great opportunities:

  • I interned with LA Galaxy’s youth programs. Helping them with marketing, day to day tasks, tournament organization, and community events. I learned a lot about the behind the scenes of youth competitive sports and marketing.

  • I interned in Texas State University’s Athletic Academic Center. I was a learning specialist for the D1 athletes that were at risk of not making grades. I helped them with general life skills, study skills, and helped them with motivation and focus. This was where I was able to truly put my sport psych skills to the test.

  • I also worked with Austin FC, an MLS expansion team at the time. I helped them put together their first ever Academy team and community engagement. I learned a lot about the behind the scenes of a professional sports team at all different levels.

With all of these experiences, I gained confidence and I was learning about the business side of sports as well as the needs of athletes for development and success.

I then joined a sport psychology group practice where I perfected my craft and helped so many elite athletes develop their mindset and reach their goals.

I was also able to progress to Operations Manager of the group practice while still providing mental performance coaching to athletes.

As Operations Manager, I was learning how to run a sport psychology practice. The systems to use, the processes that led to success, how to find clients, marketing, and sharpening my entrepreneurial skills.

And I was leading a team. I trained all of our new coaches we brought on. I was providing mentorship for the coaches we had on staff to help them hone their craft and become the best coaches they could be.

After two years in this role, I was ready to take the leap on my own. And Pina Performance Coaching was born.

Pina Performance Coaching is about elevating your mindset whether you are an athlete or an aspiring CMPC. We are about enjoying the process. Because if you aren’t enjoying it, what’s the point? And we are about implementing. Taking action towards our goals.

This is the approach I bring to athletes and mentees.

My mission is to help athletes learn mental skills so they can reach their full potential on and off the field. With this goal, I also want to help mentor and train future CMPC’s, so that we can continue to grow the field of sport psychology and continue helping athletes develop their mental game.

I’ve been in your shoes, I’ve trained and worked in many different sport settings and I’m ready to help you reach your CMPC goal!

I will support you and help you on your way to reaching a huge career goal. You’ll no longer feel alone in the sport psych world because I’m here to provide you with the answers to your questions.

Schedule an Info Session to get started.

Your Mentorship Includes

My biggest goal with all of my mentees is to ensure that when they complete all of their hours they feel confident and ready to take the Sport Psych world by storm.

So I include so much more than just mentoring you on the work you do with athletes. It also includes:

  1. Sharpening your coaching skills. This includes putting everything you learned in grad school to use. AND improving your counseling skills. So that you feel comfortable in sessions.

  2. Help finding athletes to work with. Rather than wondering where clients are going to come from, I’ll help you find them.

  3. Support through client concerns. There will be times when you wonder how to help a client overcome something, and I’ll be there to help walk you through those challenges.

  4. Learning how to structure sessions. Whether it’s a group workshop session or a 1:1 session, we want to make sure you're making the most of the time you have with clients.

  5. Planning for your future goals. The goals you have for your future matter to me. And I want to make sure that the mentorship I provide is preparing you for those future goals.

  6. The business side of sport psychology. We all got into the field to help athletes, but there is also the nitty gritty of marketing, scheduling, setting up a website, etc. that we can dive into if having your own practice is your goal.

I don’t want you to leave mentorship feeling like you aren’t ready for what’s ahead. And that is why we cover it all.

Ready to get started with mentorship? Schedule an info session today!

Let’s chat about your goals!

Schedule a Sport Psych Info Session. We’ll go through your goals and what the mentorship process will look like.