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Integrated care dedicated to athletes’ overall health

The Sports Behavioral Health Clinic at Boston Children’s Hospital supports the emotional and behavioral health of young athletes and performing artist athletes who receive care in the Sports Medicine Division. Sports and the performing arts are great opportunities for young athletes to develop social, emotional, and leadership skills. However, the growing intensity of sports and performance can take a toll on a young person’s well-being.

We believe that all athletes and performers deserve comprehensive care that focuses on them as whole people. Behavioral and emotional care is therefore part of the well-rounded care the Sports Medicine Division offers children, adolescents, and young adults — to support their overall well-being.

Our clinic at Boston Children’s is one of the only behavioral health clinics in the country that’s embedded within a clinical sports medicine program. This cutting-edge approach allows us to work closely with our multi-specialty colleagues and ensure athletes receive the full range of services they need to thrive in their lives and in their sports.

Sports-specific behavioral health

We recognize that injuries often affect more than just an athlete’s or performer’s body. An injury can disrupt the structure of an athlete’s daily life, connection to their social group, or identity as an athlete, making them more prone to further injury. For others, the pressure to compete at a high level or maintain a certain body type can lead to fear of failure, depression, anxiety, or eating disorders.

We are committed to helping athletes cope with the mental and emotional impact of injury, manage the pressures of competitive sports or performance, and address the physical and emotional toll of unrealistic expectations. We work with athletes at all levels of ability: from those playing on local or youth sports teams to those training for the Olympics and Paralympics or performing with a professional organization like the Boston Ballet.

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Behavioral health services

What you can expect through the Sports Behavioral Health Clinic:

  • Consultation: Connection with our behavioral health team usually starts with a consultation. This involves an assessment of your child’s behavioral health needs and recommendations of services or providers that could be helpful based on your child’s needs.
  • Treatment: Our psychologists and social workers offer evidence-based approaches to psychotherapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), and exposure and response prevention (ERP). Our treatment approach is typically short-term (one to three months) but can be longer-term if needed. In some cases, when athletes have additional needs, we help coordinate care with other specialized providers at Boston Children’s or in the community. After making a referral, we follow up with the patient and their family to ensure continuity of care.
  • Collaboration: We work closely with the other clinicians on your child’s Boston Children’s team to provide holistic, integrated care. With your permission, we can also communicate with school personnel and coaches to help ensure your child’s behavioral health needs are supported in other settings.

Depending on your child’s needs, we can help them address:

  • Injury-related feelings of loss or depression
  • Return-to-play anxiety and fear of reinjury
  • Trauma responses related to injury
  • Body-image concerns
  • Eating disorders and disordered eating
  • Relative energy deficiency in sports (REDs)
  • Perfectionism
  • The mental side of performance
  • Life beyond sports, including retirement from sports
  • Pain management
  • The emotional impact of surgery

Mental skills training

Our mental skills specialists help equip athletes with tools to maximize performance and (if injured) cope with rehabilitation and time away from sport. For instance, athletes develop skills such as:

  • Confidence
  • Motivation
  • Self-talk
  • Goal setting
  • Anxiety and arousal control

Mental skills training is provided by our specialists through The Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention, part of the Sports Medicine Division.

Learn about our mental skills training services