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Practice Information

Thank you for your interest in my professional practice. My performance and sport psychology office is based in Los Angeles, in the city Calabasas (directions). My work focuses on twin specialties in psychology: clinical psychology and the science of human performance. Therefore I maintain both a performance & sport psychology consulting business as well as a psychotherapy practice.

As a performance and sports psychologist, I work with performers across many disciplines (the arts, entertainment, business, leadership, politics, high-risk professions) and athletes from numerous sports at the professional, Olympic, and elite levels, as well as youth and recreational athletes.

In addition to working with every premiere and traditional sport, I also work at the highest levels with eSports, action sports (PBR, motocross, X-Games, surfing), combat sports (boxing, MMA, BJJ, Judo), and careers that involve both mental and physical stress such as firefighters, first-responders, and surgeons.

Choosing a Consultant or Psychologist

Because you may be putting a good deal of time, money, and energy into therapy or performance consulting, you should choose a therapist or performance consultant carefully. I strongly believe you should feel comfortable with the person you choose, and hopeful about the process of change. When you feel this way, the process is more likely to be very helpful to you.

Even happy times in life, performance success, and achievements in work or sporting life can at times feel overwhelming and create anxieties. Managing stress and gaining skills to face new challenges are crucial elements for achieving performance excellence. The work that I do can also help to clarify uncertainties and fears while helping to promote a positive and optimistic viewpoint.

I offer both psychotherapy and performance consulting in my practice. Psychotherapy may be able to help in developing tools and skills to decrease stress, learning ways to communicate with loved ones so that you can get your point across more effectively, changing problem behaviors, habits, & thoughts, improving the experience of daily living, and setting & reaching goals for positive change. Performance consulting (sometimes referred to as “mental skills training” or personal coaching) involves acquiring and applying specific psychological skills or “mind tools” to help improve areas of life and performance for athletes, performing artists, writers, business leaders, entertainers, and people in high-stakes professions.

     Click HERE for a note about about privacy and discretion in our work together. 

 

 

 

Some of the areas that I can support you with include:

• Sport Psychology (a.k.a. sports psychology coaching, mental skills training, and consulting)
• Performance Psychology (e.g. achieving optimal performance in business and entertainment; reducing performance anxiety in dance, broadcasting, music, and the performing arts)
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Life Coaching, as well as Lifestyle and Fitness Coaching
• Body Image Issues (including BDD)
• Eating Disorders
• Relationships
• Life Transitions

Throughout life there are bumps along the road. If you respond at the first signs of difficulty or emotional pain, you may be able to avoid prolonged distress, anxiety, fear and sadness. Early warning signs of psychological distress may include the inability to sleep well, feelings of sadness, irritability, anger or hopelessness.

Treatment Philosophy

“Helping People Move Forward to Better Possibilities” ^SM

In my work as a clinical and sports psychologist, I believe in providing goal-directed assistance. This means that a therapy treatment goal or several performance goals are established after an initial assessment. Sessions are then planned with the goal(s) in mind and every attempt is made toward progress in a time-efficient manner. From time to time, we will look together at our progress and goals. If we think we need to, we can then change our treatment plan, its goals, and its methods.

I practice both clinical psychology and performance consulting from what is called a “pragmatic” approach. This means that I generally utilize a variety of treatment techniques that are tailored toward the specific client and treatment goals. While my primary approach is what is called “cognitive-behavioral” (CB), I tend to utilize many applied psychological tools and techniques that promote change, depending on the client’s needs and goals. CB is an active, practical, and solution focused approach that promotes behavior change while strengthening coping skills and addressing thoughts and feelings that may be problematic. I can explain more about the CB approach along the way.

Each client and treatment need, whether it is couples psychotherapy, individual psychotherapy, consulting, coaching, or another need, will be approached utilizing effective treatment strategies in a caring and supportive environment. I also think of my approach to helping people as an educational one. Therefore I may recommend to you, or provide you with, information to read, resources to utilize, and/or homework to complete that is designed to enhance your experience. If you ever have any questions about my approach or the work that I do, please do not hesitate to ask.

Should you seek professional help at this time? This can be difficult to say without a thorough assessment. If you feel that you are interested in pursuing therapy or consulting at this time, please feel free to contact me. In addition, if I can direct you to helpful information or put you in touch with other professional resources, I will try to do so.

This website is provided for information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for a medical or psychological evaluation. Sari Shepphird, Ph.D. is not responsible or liable for any diagnosis, decision, or self-assessment made by a user based on the content of this website. Always contact 911 or other emergency services if you feel that you are in crisis.