What is Sport Psychology?
Sport psychology is the application of psychological theory to the world of competitive sports. A sport psychologist receives training in clinical or counseling psychology as well as exercise science, kinesiology, and other sport related fields. Sport psychologists accept the premise that athletes face a unique set of challenges when it comes to combining the roles of student and athlete. Understanding that student-athletes have special needs influences the way in which the psychologist works with his or her clients, whether they are individual student-athletes, entire teams, coaches, or athletic department staff.

Many student-athletes first consider talking to a sport psychologist because of a performance-related issue such as an extended slump, a conflict with a teammate or a coach, a loss of motivation for their sport, or an injury. Frequently, athletes find that it is helpful to talk about other things going on their lives such as their relationships with their parents or partner, academic or career issues, or possibly more serious issues such as substance abuse, because ultimately all of these issues affect all aspects of one's life, including athletic performance.

Sport Psychology at UCLA
Sport psychology at UCLA takes many forms. Student-athletes can work individually with a counselor to address personal and performance issues which might be inhibiting achievement of your maximum potential in the classroom or in competition. Groups and workshops offered by CAPS can also be used to address these concerns. Coaches and other Athletic Department staff can consult with CAPS staff about an individual student-athlete or about team concerns. Workshops for teams can be used to address performance related issues such as mental skills training and team building.

• Any student-athlete can call to schedule an initial appointment with a CAPS counselor.
• If a situation is urgent, students can walk in to CAPS and be seen the same day.
• After hours, on-call counselors are available by calling CAPS at (310) 825-0768.
• Student-athletes, coaches and other Athletic Department staff can drop into the Sport Psychology Clinic for an informal consultation with Dr. Bob Corb, CAPS Sport Psychology Program Director.
• The CAPS Sport Psychology Clinic satellite is located at the Acosta Athletic Training Center. (Check with the Athletic training staff for current Clinic hours) The Sport Psychology Program at CAPS promotes the behavioral health of student-athletes, coaches and staff of the UCLA Athletic Department.

For more information, or to arrange a consultation time, contact:
Bob Corb, Ph.D., Sport Psychology Program Director - (310) 825-0768 - rcorb@caps.ucla.edu

The Counseling Center
Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS)

The Counseling Center is a multidisciplinary mental health center for the UCLA community, offering individual and group counseling and psychotherapy to students; emergency services; consultation, outreach and education to students, staff, and faculty; and training programs for residents, post-doctoral psychology fellows, interns, and advanced graduate students in the mental health professions.

The most important thing that you should know about the Counseling Center is that we strictly honor your right to privacy. Although we work closely with members of the Athletic Department, our departments and our services are completely independent. When you receive CAPS services, what we talk about is considered confidential and legally protected information.

The CAPS staff are professionals trained to deal with a variety of issues including stress, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, sexuality, suicidal feelings, and serious behavioral disorders. Students coming to the Counseling Center will be referred to the professional counselor who will work best with that student's specific issues. Staff members frequently work together when providing outreach or consultation to groups such as student-athletes. CAPS professionals are a team dedicated to increasing the well being of all students at UCLA.

The Counseling Center
Counseling and Psychological Services
John Wooden Center West
Monday - Friday, 8am-5pm
24-Hour Crisis Counseling Available
(310) 825-0768

For more information about CAPS, click here.

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