Next Level Mental Training, Team Building and Sport Psychology

Interested in Team Building with Dr. Gonzalez? Check out how Dr. G helped RIT Hockey HERE!

At Next Level, we're dedicated to offering a wide range of comprehensive programs and services to help our athletes, teams and members achieve their goals! We're excited to announce the addition of Mental Training and Team Building Services, provided by well known Sport Psychology professional, Dr. Stephen P. Gonzalez, to our extensive catalog of services and programs. Dr. G has helped countless high level athletes and teams reach their full potential by breaking down mental roadblocks and increasing team comradery. Check out a description of possible program offerings that can be offered in the classroom or "on field" settings below. Contact us to schedule your initial consultation meeting, or to learn more about group seminars and workshops!

Click Here for Services/Prices. Contact us at Info@trainatnextlevel.com to set up sessions!

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For Individual Athletes, Performers and Teams: 

Mental training involves systematic and tailored skills and activities to build mental toughness, enhance one's ability to thrive under pressure, and to regulate oneself no matter the situation. My mental training approach typically takes 3 phases: educational phase, application phase, and sustain phase. 

• Setting proper goals and objectives for practices and performances 
• Learning to regulate anxiety and emotions 
• Building confidence 
• Mindfulness meditation for better awareness and focus 
• Effective self-talk strategies 
• Using imagery and visualization to enhance mental preparation 
• Developing effective routines prior to performances, during, and following performances 
• Enhancing and understanding motivation
• Building and developing resilience 

Clients will be given worksheets and activities to learn these skills and be encouraged to start to implement them in practices. 

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For Teams and Organizations 

Mental skills training for teams involves educating all personnel on the core mental skills mentioned under services for athletes and performers. In addition to these services, team specific services include: 

• Team building exercises to enhance both social and task cohesion 

• Developing effective team communication 

• Leadership training for senior players and team captains 

• How to handle being in a new role on the team (learning how to be a reserve player or how to be a starter) 

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For Coaches 

Mental trainings for coaches involves educating both coaches on many issues that can negatively influence their coaching and their athlete's or performer's performance. Typical sessions include: 

• How to create an optimal motivational climate for your team 

• How to handle the injury process with athletes 

• How to promote positive youth development in young athletes 

• How to avoid burnout in athletes 

• How to promote good sportspersonship and being a good teammate 

• How to manage the stress of coaching 

• How to reinforce mental skills taught to athletes 

• How to incorporate mental skills training into your team culture 

 

Email: info@trainatnextlevel.com for more info, or to schedule your initial consultation!  See Dr. G's website for more information

 

Introduction to the Field and Services: 

The field of sport psychology is broadly defined as the study of how psychological factors, such as anxiety and stress, influence sport performance. My delivery of services within the field of sport psychology is typically referred to as mental training or conditioning, which is applying skills to performance with psychologically healthy individuals. I am not a clinical psychologist, meaning that I do not treat or work with depression, eating disorders, etc. My training is in both psychology and sport sciences, with certifications as a sport psychology consultant and as a vetted member of the United States Olympic Committee’s Mental Training and Sport Psychology Registry. Sport psychology can benefit many people in sport: athletes, teams, coaches, and parents of youth athletes. 

With individual athletes, sport psychology is generally centered on how to help athletes develop mental skills to combat stress, anxiety, distractions and attentional issues, low self-confidence, fear, low motivation, and inconsistencies in performing. Sport psychology is also interested in helping teams develop strong cultures and higher levels of cohesion and trust. 

Additionally, sport psychology can help coaches develop strong coach-athlete relationships and greater leadership capabilities. Finally, with parents, sport psychology can help parents learn how to best support their children in sport, how to motivate their children for long term success, and foster greater social support for their children. 

Below are some descriptions of topics, workshops, and trainings for athletes and performers, teams, and finally coaches. 

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Bio of Dr. Stephen P. Gonzalez, CC-AASP: 

Dr. Stephen P. Gonzalez is an Assistant Professor of Sport Psychology at The College at Brockport State University of New York (SUNY) in greater Rochester, New York. Dr. Gonzalez teaches classes at Brockport in Sport Psychology and Sport in Society, conducts research on resilience and motivation, and is a consultant to Brockport Athletics where he helps teams and individual athletes master the mental approach to competition. 

Dr. Gonzalez completed his PhD in the Psycho-Social Aspects of Sport at the University of Utah, his MS in Sport Psychology at Georgia Southern University, and his BS in Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. While at Pitt, Dr. Gonzalez was a scholarshiped NCAA Division I distance runner for the Panthers and was a four year letter winner. 

Prior to coming to Brockport, Dr. Gonzalez was the Lead Performance Expert for the United States Army’s Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness (CSF2) program at Fort Stewart, Georgia. While with CSF2, Dr. Gonzalez was tasked with enhancing the readiness and resilience in active duty infantry soldiers. Dr. Gonzalez was also a consultant to athletes in combat sports, runners, and endurance sports and was an Adjunct Professor at Armstrong State University in Savannah, Georgia. 

Dr. Gonzalez is a Certified Consultant through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (CC-AASP) and is listed on the United States Olympic Committee’s (USOC) Sport Psychology and Mental Training Registry- a list of vetted professionals preferred to work with Olympic Athletes. Dr. Gonzalez’s mental training clients have included athletes competing at the Olympic Trials in both the summer and winter games, collegiate athletes in a variety of sports, high school athletes, professional orchestra performers, and coaches. Dr. Gonzalez has appeared in several popular magazines and media outlets such as Trail Runner Magazine, Backpacker Magazine, Sports Magazine, Rocky Mountain Running and Triathlon Magazine, National Alliance for Youth Sport's (NAYS) Sporting Kid Magazine, and BrooksRunning.com to provide the public with common tips and ideas to improve their performances and actively publishes research on the topics of resilience and motivation in sport. 

Dr. Gonzalez is very experienced working with athletes from many different sports- tennis, running, swimming, marksmanship and shooting, golf, track and field, skiing, hockey, lacrosse, basketball, football, soccer, martial arts, and baseball as well as performing artists such as professional symphony musicians. Dr. Gonzalez is always open to applying his knowledge of sport and performance psychology to any athlete or performer interested in improving their mental approach. He lives in Brockport, NY with his wife Amy and two children.