In the 1920s and 1930s, athletes and performers began exploring the use of psychology’s latest scientific findings to improve their performance.

Early sport and performance psychologists focused on areas such as reaction time, information processing, memory, and personality traits.

By the 1970s and 1980s, the term "sport psychologist" could refer to a variety of roles: a kinesiologist, a psychological researcher in the lab, or a psychologist working directly with athletes and performers to address issues like motivation, stress management, and consistency.

Today, high-performance psychology, which draws on the fields of sport and exercise psychology, clinical and counseling psychology, and multicultural psychology, is recognized as a vital discipline. It supports individuals striving to lead meaningful lives—often in the public eye—by helping them manage the unique challenges of performing under pressure and scrutiny.

This is based on the services you're seeking at Atlas, your age, your current life and performance environment, your history with mental training or sport psychology, any psychological or family history of disorders, and even medication and nutrition.

Our process is evidence-based, comprehensive, and tailored to your specific needs. By gathering solid data upfront, we can create a targeted mental training plan with the best chance of success. When the plan works, you'll likely see positive performance improvements quickly, helping you achieve sustainable, consistent results and support others effectively.

While results vary by individual and by situation, our structured approach typically shows measurable improvements within 6-8 hours of working together.

As experienced sport & performance psychological providers, we:

• Use comprehensive initial assessments to monitor growth and areas of improvement

• Create customized mental training plans

• Track progress with evidence-based metrics

• Adjust strategies based on performance data

We operate from an evidence-based stance, which means we prioritize those mental training techniques that have been found to be effective for performance populations using empirical means. Some wonderful, free, evidence-based techniques that we love referencing can be found online (e.g., the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley; the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; the Mind and Life Institute; the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education from Stanford University; the Character Lab from University of Pennsylvania, etc.).

Another major source of guidance for us is our extensive, amazing mentorship network who continue to teach us about their work and research, with whom who we are in regular contact. We read lots of books, articles (both scientific and practical) and listen to a few podcasts, as well. Of course, we learn most of our lessons from clients who are willing to try out mental training techniques and share with us their experiences.

Our sports performance therapy integrates:

• Evidence-based techniques from leading research centers

• Customized training protocols

• Regular progress assessment

• Cultural awareness and sensitivity

• Integration of mental health principles

• Performance-specific strategies

We utilize the best available psychological tests, interview protocols, and analysis techniques from the broader scientific literature base to make meaningful, data-driven insights designed to highlight your unique psychological strengths, abilities, attributes, and characteristics.

Our comprehensive assessment at Atlas Psychology Boulder includes:

• Evidence-based psychological testing

• Performance-specific evaluations

• Mental health screening

• Strengths and challenges assessment

• Customized training recommendations

• 6-8 hours of thorough evaluation

With your written permission, Atlas Psychology can collaborate and share progress or results with:

• Primary care physicians

• Coaches and trainers

• Physical therapists

• School counselors

• Family members

• Other healthcare providers

We will only share this information should you want us to.

To be called a “psychologist” means an individual is a “licensed psychologist” in their state or territory of residence, meaning they have met the minimum professional criteria to be a licensed psychologist set by their state or province. In Colorado, for example, becoming a licensed psychologist requires meeting strict standards, which can be found here (DORA).

Not all psychologists have the same training or scope of practice. The American Psychological Association (APA) recognizes only a few main types of licensed psychologists, including school psychologists, counseling psychologists, and clinical psychologists.

Sport and performance psychologists must have training in one of these general areas at the doctoral level, as well as additional specialized training in sport and performance psychology as a subspecialty of their practice. They provide psychological services to individuals who identify as performers, supporting them through challenging yet fulfilling experiences.

For providers who hold a masters degree only, they are not considered “sport psychologists” because they do not meet the state of Colorado’s minimum training requirements to be a “psychologist.”

At Atlas Psychology, Brooke and Bob are counseling psychologists, Adam is a clinical psychologist, and all three of us identify as sport psychologists. Our approach is informed by our personal interests, formal education, professional training, and experiences helping clients pursue their goals and perform at their best.

Our expert team of sport and performance psychologists have many training and professional experiences in common. Each have earned and/or underwent:

• Doctoral degrees in clinical or counseling psychology from APA-Accredited Doctoral Programs, considered to be gold-standard programs in psychological training

• Completed doctoral internships at APA-Accredited Internship Programs, also considered to be gold-standard internship programs upholding the highest standards of applied clinical care

• State licensure as generalist psychologists, formally trained in clinical or counseling psychology

• Formal, specialized and extensive training in sport and performance psychology (e.g., masters degrees in sport and performance psychology separate from doctoral degree programs)

• Certified Mental Performance Consultants (CMPC) through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology

• Adjunct professors at the University of Denver’s masters program in sport and performance psychology

• Extensive experience with athletes and performers in high performance environments

• Consultation, keynote speaking engagements, and workshops for multiple professional (non-athletic) organizations and teams

• Ongoing professional development and research involvement. See each team member’s bio page for research citations, if applicable.