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sport psychologist Dr Mike providing golf mental performance coaching at a golf club
Train Your Mind.
Elevate Your Game.
Trusted by professional, collegiate, and youth athletes, Dr.Mike helps athletes master their mindset, manage pressure, and compete with clarity and confidence.

Sport Psychologist Providing Mental Performance Coaching for Athletes in New Jersey and Nationwide

Athletes spend countless hours training their bodies and refining their skills. But when pressure rises, it is often the mind—not mechanics—that determines performance.

For over a decade, Dr. Mike has helped athletes strengthen the mental side of their game through sport psychology and mental performance coaching designed to build focus, confidence, and resilience under pressure.

Why Athletes Trust Dr. Mike

  • Head of Sport Psychology Services at Princeton University
  • Licensed Psychologist with a specialty in Clinical & Sport Psychology
  • Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC)
  • Experience working with athletes from youth to professional
  • Mindfulness- and acceptance-based approach grounded in performance science
  • Known for a warm and approachable style that helps athletes grow both inside and outside of sport

Dr. Mike provides sport psychology and mental performance coaching for athletes in New Jersey and nationwide, working with youth, collegiate, professional, and Olympic-level competitors.

sport psychologist discussing mental performance coaching with college athlete
athlete mental health counseling session with sport psychologist Dr Mike

Athlete Mental Health Counseling

Athletes face a unique set of stressors that can significantly impact their mental health and performance. Pressure to perform, demanding schedules, injuries, relationships with coaches and teammates, recruitment and career transitions, and the challenge of balancing sport, academics, and personal life can all create significant strain.

Common Challenges Athletes Experience

Many athletes seek support when dealing with challenges such as:

  • Fear of failure
  • Overthinking or excessive worry
  • Lack of confidence or self-doubt
  • Performance anxiety
  • Struggling in competition despite strong practice
  • Feeling they are underachieving
  • Difficulty managing emotions during competition
  • Trouble refocusing after mistakes
  • Frustration with inconsistency
  • Perfectionism
  • Mental health concerns affecting performance

Counseling with a Sport Psychologist

If these challenges sound familiar, Dr. Mike helps athletes at every level strengthen both mental health and performance through sport psychology counseling and mental performance coaching.

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golf sport psychologist providing mental performance coaching to professional golfer

Golf Psychology & Mental Performance

Mental Performance Coaching for Golfers

Dr. Mike specializes in the delivery of mental performance coaching for golfers. Golfers competing in the PGA, Ivy League and other collegiate conferences, LPGA, Korn Ferry Tour, NJPGA, AJGA, and more have benefited from his golf psychology services.

In addition to individual golf mental coaching, Dr. Mike is available for speaking engagements and ongoing golf mental performance workshops. As a golf mental coach, he regularly presents across the region at country clubs, golf courses, high schools, colleges, and other golf organizations.

Common Mental Challenges Golfers Face

  • Overthinking mechanics
  • Performance anxiety and managing competition pressure
  • Negative self-talk
  • Translating practice to competitive rounds
  • Lack of confidence and self-doubt
  • Lack of focus on the golf course
  • Remaining poised under pressure
  • Losing control of emotions and difficulty managing frustration
  • Resilience and growth after slumps or poor rounds
  • Course management
  • The yips

Sport Performance Psychology

track and field athlete training with sports performance psychology techniques
basketball athletes using mental performance coaching and sport psychology training
swimmer competing with sport performance psychology and mental training techniques
tennis player competing using mental performance coaching techniques from sport psychology

Mental Performance Training for Athletes

Dr. Mike provides evidence-based sport performance psychology and mental performance training to help athletes – from youth and collegiate competitors to professionals and Olympians – compete at their best while continuing to grow as athletes and people.

A Mindfulness and Acceptance-Based Approach

His modern, mindfulness- and acceptance-based approach offers a proven alternative to traditional methods, with a strong track record of achieving positive sports performance outcomes. Drawing on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dr. Mike equips clients with the tools to embrace emotions and perform with them, succeed in the face of overthinking, self-doubt and lack of confidence, stay present, and connect deeply with all the lessons sports has to teach.

Mental Skills That Hold Up Under Pressure

This work goes beyond surface level techniques and mental toughness cliches, such as “just think positive” or “just relax”. It is grounded in contemporary research and focused on developing mental skills that hold up under real competitive pressure both in sport and life.

Dr. Mike’s clients compete and perform in:

PGA - Professional Golf Association
LPGA - Ladies Professional Golf Association
Ivy League
US Olympics
NBA - National Basketball Association
MLB - Major League Baseball
NCAA - National Collegiate Athletic Association
AJGA - American Junior Golf Association
sport psychologist leading team mental performance consulting session

Team & Organizational Consulting

Dr. Mike provides team and organizational consulting services for athletic programs, sport and business organizations, and coaching staffs seeking sustainable performance enhancement. His work goes well beyond generic motivational speaking and traditional mental performance cliches. Each engagement is tailored to the unique culture, demands, and performance goals of the team or organization.

Dr. Mike’s speaking engagements and workshops are highly experiential, conversational, and intended to help teams and organizations develop practical, usable skills that translate directly to their day-to-day training, competition, and leadership environments.

Whether consulting with professional teams, youth organizations, golf programs, businesses, or collegiate programs, Dr. Mike’s sport psychology expertise empowers teams to thrive together and achieve their full potential.

Dr. Mike provides team and organizational sport psychology consulting for organizations in New Jersey and nationally.

  • Golf Courses
  • Sports arenas
  • College Athletic Organizations
  • Athletic Department and Coaching Staffs
  • Corporate and performance driven environments
  • Youth organizations
  • And more!

Structured Mental Performance Training

Dr. Mike’s years of experience working with high performers and the families of high performers led him to develop a comprehensive set of mental training programs.

These signature programs offer a clear framework, defined curriculum, and built-in accountability for athletes ready to commit to their mental training. Unlike traditional one-on-one coaching, our programs deliver a step-by-step system designed for measurable performance growth.

If you are ready for a defined mental training roadmap, explore the Centered Programs.

Centered Swings golf mental training program for improving the mental game of golf

Centered Swings

Structured Mental Training Program for Golfers

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Centered Minds mental performance training program for athletes and high performers

Centered Minds

Structured Mental Training Program for Athletes and other High Performers

Learn More
Centered Parents program supporting parents of athletes and high performers

Centered Parents

Structured Mental Training Program for Parents

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Our Approach

Dr. Mike works with athletes and other high performers to build mental skills that will benefit them both in sport and life.

Our sport psychology services are:

  • Athlete-centered and tailored to each athlete’s goals, sport, and challenges
  • Designed to help athletes navigate the pressures and expectations of sport, while rediscovering joy and purpose in competition
  • Grounded in the latest science and evidence-base in high performance
  • Offer a practical alternative to traditional approaches that emphasize forced positivity, or methods that aim to control, fix or avoid normal thoughts and emotions

There is no shortage of self-help books, podcasts, and social media influencers telling you how to master the mental game. If you have tried these and other approaches and still felt stuck, Dr. Mike offers something different.

His approach is personalized, thoughtful, supportive, and designed to help you feel understood and become the athlete you know you can be.

If you are ready to strengthen your mental game, Dr. Mike is here to partner with you on that journey.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Performance coaching helps athletes develop the mental skills needed to perform effectively in their sport such as attentional control, confidence, emotion regulation, managing self-talk, and resilience. Mental health counseling addresses concerns such as anxiety, stress management, burnout, and mood difficulties. As a licensed psychologist, Dr. Mike is trained to provide both. When appropriate, performance and mental health work are integrated, allowing athletes to address performance and well-being within the same supportive professional relationship.

Yes. Telehealth sessions are available. Dr. Mike has obtained Authorization to Practice Interjurisdictional Telepsychology (APIT) through PSYPACT, allowing him to provide services to clients in 43 participating states.

Yes. Dr. Mike provides team workshops, leadership trainings, and consulting for athletic programs and organizations.

A sport psychologist is a doctorate level, licensed mental health professional with advanced training in psychology and sport performance whose work is regulated by professional and ethical standards. A mental skills coach may focus on performance strategies but is not typically licensed to assess, diagnose, or treat mental health concerns. Dr. Mike’s training and licensure allow him to provide comprehensive, ethical, and evidence-based care for both performance and mental health needs.

Fees vary depending on the type of service, frequency of sessions, and individual needs. Dr. Mike works collaboratively with clients to develop a plan that fits their goals and circumstances. During the initial phone consultation with Dr. Mike, fees and payment options are discussed openly so you can make an informed decision about whether services are a good fit.

Our Process

submit contact form for sport psychology consultation

Submit a Contact Form

Share a few details about yourself, your sport, and what you’d like to work on. It’s okay to keep it brief.
discovery phone call with sport psychologist for mental performance coaching

Discovery Call with Dr. Mike

Within 24 hours, our office manager will schedule a phone conversation with Dr. Mike to discuss your goals, answer questions, and determine whether it’s a good fit.

schedule initial sport psychology consultation session

Schedule Your Initial Consultation

If it’s a good fit, your first sport psychology session will be scheduled and the work begins.

sport psychologist meeting with athlete for mental performance coaching session

Why Athletes Trust Dr. Mike the Sport Psych

Athletes of all ages and skill levels turn to Dr. Mike for his expertise, innovative approach, and proven ability to help them excel in their sport. His extensive experience, advanced credentials, and compassionate style have earned Dr. Mike a well-deserved reputation as a trusted leader in mental performance coaching and athlete mental health.

  • Unmatched Expertise in Sport Psychology

    Athletes trust Dr. Mike because he operates at the highest levels of sport psychology – every day, and has a wealth of sport psychology experience. 

    Dr. Mike has been in private practice for over a decade working with elite athletes across sport and level. 

    As Head of Sport Psychology Services at Princeton University, Dr. Mike oversees mental health care and mental skills training for more than 1,000 student-athletes competing across 38 Division I sports. In this role, he works closely with athletes, coaches, medical staff, and administrators to support both peak performance and athlete well-being. 

  • Integrated Mental Health & Performance Expertise

    Dr. Mike is uniquely trained to work at the intersection of athlete mental health and mental performance. As a Licensed Psychologist in New Jersey and Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) he helps athlete navigate clinical concerns, such as anxiety, perfectionism, burnout, injury recovery, while also developing the mental skills required for sustained performance. This integrated perspective allows athletes to receive thoughtful, ethical and developmentally appropriate care under one roof. 

  • Specialist in Athlete Mental Health

    Specializing in athlete mental health, Dr. Mike offers a compassionate, individualized, and supportive approach. Having worked for years in athlete mental health, and published peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters in this area, Dr. Mike has an extensive understanding of the unique stressors and pressures confronted by athletes. He works collaboratively with athletes to address these concerns through mental health counseling.  

  • Proven Leader in Performance Psychology

    Recognized as a trusted authority in sports enhancement and mental performance coaching, Dr. Mike is listed in the U.S. Olympic Mental Health Registry and serves as a consultant to organizations like the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) and Runner’s World. His work with professional athletes, Olympians, and collegiate teams highlights his expertise in sport and performance psychology. 

  • Innovative Mental Training for Athletes

    Dr. Mike’s approach to sport and performance psychology goes beyond traditional methods like positive self-talk and visualization. Using mindfulness- and acceptance-based techniques, he empowers athletes to step back from unhelpful thoughts, stay present, and unlock their full potential with clarity and confidence. 

  • Published Author

    Dr. Mike is a published author of academic book chapters and articles. He is also the former Associate Editor for the Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, and continues to have a presence on their editorial board. His research and insights reflect his commitment to evidence-based practice to enhance athlete mental health and athletic performance.

  • Specialist in the Psychology of Golf

    Dr. Mike has extensive experience working with golfers at every level, from competitive juniors and collegiate athletes to professionals and elite amateurs. He understands the unique mental demands of golf and created a program, Centered Swings™, specifically designed to help golfers navigate the psychological challenges of the game.

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