Working with Kids and Their Parents

Mitchell Greene

Sports, even at the youngest developmental levels, has become a source of great stress for kids and their parents. The final results of games and kids’ individual statistics are immediately broadcast on the internet, and recruiting videos of middle school age athletes are all over YouTube. Recreation has been replaced with expectation, and practitioners need to be ready to help these frustrated young athletes and their parents navigate the very choppy waters of youth sports. In this workshop on the fundamentals of sport psychology, you’ll focus on:

• In-office strategies to help athletes (and parents) discover a mindset that’s more about enjoying the journey than worrying about the results
• How practitioners can incorporate their clinical training, including family therapy techniques, into their work with sport families
• How to help the athlete see when they’re playing distracting “side games” in addition to the game they chose to play, and how that impacts performance
• How to work with parents who are overly invested in their child’s performances on the field

Mitchell Greene, PhD, is a clinical and sport psychologist who specializes in working with athletes. He’s the owner of Greenepsych Clinical & Sport Psychology, located in Haverford, PA.