Virtual Mental Health Support for Performing Artists Across Texas
At Live Mindfully Psychotherapy, I offer specialized virtual therapy and mental performance coaching for dancers and athletes across Texas. I understand the unique mental and emotional demands of high-level performance and provide targeted support to help you manage anxiety, build lasting confidence, and perform at your best—both on and off the stage or field.
When Mental Performance Gets in the Way of Physical Performance
Many dancers and athletes silently struggle with:
Self-critical thoughts that drown out constructive feedback from coaches or instructors
Difficulty focusing during practice or class due to anxiety or overthinking
Mental distractions that limit progress and training efficiency
Performance anxiety that shows up as shaking, racing heart, or nausea
Mental blocks that make previously mastered skills feel suddenly out of reach
If any of this sounds familiar, you're not alone. The pressure to excel in high-performance environments—whether in sports or the performing arts—can fuel anxiety and self-doubt that slowly erode the joy and confidence you once felt.
How Anxiety Impacts Dancers & Athletes
Whether you're a student, competitive performer, or professional, anxiety can create powerful internal barriers that interfere with your training, performance, and overall well-being:
Mental blocks that disrupt timing, coordination, or execution of skills you’ve already mastered
Self-doubt that chips away at your confidence, even after years of training
Negative self-talk that amplifies feelings of inadequacy or “never being enough”
Fear-based hesitation, especially around injury, judgment, or failure
Physical symptoms such as muscle tightness, rapid heartbeat, digestive discomfort, or fatigue
Difficulty achieving flow state, leaving you stuck in your head when you most want to feel free and expressive
These challenges don’t just impact your performance—they can shift your relationship with your sport or art form, turning something that once brought joy into a source of pressure and burnout. With the right support, it's possible to reconnect with your purpose, move through anxiety, and rediscover fulfillment in your performance journey.
My Holistic Approach to Performance Enhancement
At Live Mindfully Psychotherapy, I understand that peak performance depends on more than just physical training—it requires mental strength, emotional resilience, and a deep connection to your craft. Mental performance coaching is designed to help you develop the psychological tools you need to thrive, both in training and on stage or in competition.
Through this work, you’ll learn to:
- Overcome performance anxiety and show up with confidence
- Build mental toughness and bounce back from setbacks
- Sharpen focus and maintain concentration under pressure
- Strengthen belief in your abilities and quiet self-doubt
- Manage perfectionism and reduce harsh self-criticism
- Process the emotional impact of injuries and return to training with clarity
- Reconnect with the passion and joy that first drew you to your sport or art form
Whether you’re looking to perform with more confidence or simply enjoy your practice again, mental coaching offers a path forward that supports your whole self—mind and body.
Meet Our Specialist: Kelsey Fyffe, LPC-S
Kelsey Fyffe brings over 10 years of specialized experience working with dancers and athletes across all performance levels. As the Academy Counselor for the Houston Ballet since 2017, she has extensive expertise in addressing the unique mental health challenges faced by professional dancers and artistic athletes.
From high school competitors to professional ballet dancers, Kelsey has helped performing artists:
Build authentic self-worth beyond performance outcomes
Develop greater confidence in their dance technique
Improve body image and relationship with the performer’s body
Expand mental skills for increased resilience
Overcome debilitating performance anxiety
Process traumatic injuries and return to performance
My Specialized Services for Dancers and Athletes
Mental performance coaching is a structured, skills-based service designed to help athletes, dancers, and other high-performing individuals strengthen their mental game. Unlike therapy, which focuses on emotional healing and clinical concerns, performance coaching is not a form of mental health treatment. Instead, it centers on building the psychological tools needed to perform consistently and confidently under pressure. It’s ideal for individuals who want to enhance performance, build mental resilience, and reconnect with their purpose—without necessarily needing therapy.
Through performance coaching, you’ll develop the mental skills that are often overlooked in physical training but are essential for success at any level. These include:
Mindset training: Shift out of fear-based thinking, manage nerves, and cultivate a mindset that supports growth, confidence, and adaptability.
Goal setting: Learn to set intentional, measurable goals that guide your progress and keep you focused—both short-term and long-term.
Emotion regulation: Build tools to manage performance anxiety, frustration, and overwhelm so you can recover quickly and stay in control during high-stakes moments.
Focus and concentration: Strengthen your ability to stay present and focused, even in distracting or high-pressure environments.
Confidence-building strategies: Develop internal sources of confidence based on preparation, skill, and self-trust rather than external validation.
Resilience and recovery: Learn how to bounce back from setbacks, navigate mental blocks, and maintain motivation through challenging periods.
Mental performance coaching empowers you to train your mind just as intentionally as you train your body—so you can perform with clarity, consistency, and purpose. Whether you’re preparing for a major competition, navigating burnout, or simply striving to reach the next level, this work helps you stay mentally sharp and connected to what drives you.
Adjunct Therapies Are Available For Athletes In Texas
For athletes in Texas who are experiencing more than just performance-related stress—such as disordered eating, anxiety, or unresolved trauma—Live Mindfully Psychotherapy offers specialized mental health support tailored to the unique challenges of high-performing individuals. As both a licensed therapist and certified eating disorder specialist, I provide compassionate, evidence-based therapy that addresses the deeper emotional struggles that can impact training, recovery, and overall well-being. Whether you're dealing with perfectionism, body image concerns, panic symptoms, or the effects of past traumas, therapy can help you heal, build resilience, and reconnect with your sport in a healthier, more sustainable way.
EMDR Therapy for Performance Enhancement
EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) can be a powerful tool for performers and athletes whose mental and emotional barriers are interfering with their ability to perform at their best. This approach helps process unresolved experiences and negative beliefs that may be stored in the nervous system and triggered during training, rehearsal, or performance. EMDR is particularly effective for performers who struggle with:
Performance anxiety that arises before competitions, auditions, or on stage
Trauma related to past injuries, medical procedures, or falls that impact confidence and movement
Mental blocks during specific movements or routines that were once automatic
Deep-seated self-doubt or negative beliefs, such as “I’m not good enough” or “I’ll mess this up”
By targeting and reprocessing these experiences, EMDR helps the brain release the emotional intensity tied to them. As distress decreases, negative thought patterns are replaced with more adaptive, empowering beliefs. This not only reduces anxiety and improves focus but can also support quicker recovery from injuries, enhance body awareness, and restore a sense of trust in your abilities—allowing you to return to your craft with renewed clarity and confidence.
EMDR Intensives for Breakthrough Results
EMDR intensives offer a powerful and efficient way to work through the mental and emotional blocks that may be holding you back. Unlike traditional weekly therapy, intensives involve longer sessions scheduled over a short period of time—allowing for deep, focused work that can accelerate healing and performance breakthroughs.
This format is especially helpful for performers with demanding schedules. Between rehearsals, competitions, and travel, finding time for weekly therapy sessions can feel impossible. EMDR intensives provide a solution: concentrated, high-impact support that fits into your schedule without compromising the depth of the work.
These intensives are designed to help you:
- Quickly resolve performance anxiety and mental blocks
- Process traumatic or distressing experiences tied to past performances or injuries
- Rebuild confidence and self-trust ahead of major events
- Make meaningful progress on persistent mindset issues that traditional therapy hasn’t fully addressed
Whether you're stuck in a loop of self-doubt, struggling to recover from an injury, or simply want to walk into your next performance with more mental clarity and control, EMDR intensives offer a fast-tracked path forward. With focused support and proven methods, you can move through what’s holding you back—and return to your sport or art form with renewed strength and purpose.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) equips dancers and athletes with tools to manage performance anxiety, perfectionism, and self-doubt—without letting those experiences control their actions. Instead of trying to eliminate discomfort, ACT teaches you to perform with it by focusing on what matters most. This approach helps you:
- Perform consistently, even when anxiety is present
- Reconnect with your deeper purpose and love for your craft
- Stay focused and present during training or performance
- Balance precision with authentic expression
- Build long-term resilience and mental flexibility
ACT empowers you to step into your role fully—not just when conditions feel perfect, but for specifically when they don’t.
Specialized Support for Eating Disorders
The pressure to meet specific body standards in dance and aesthetic sports can create a harmful relationship with food and body image—often leading to disordered eating that not only jeopardizes physical health but also diminishes performance, focus, and emotional well-being. At Live Mindfully Psychotherapy, specialized eating disorder therapy for dancers and athletes is designed to address these challenges with sensitivity and expertise.
Through this work, dancers & athletes learn to:
Build a healthier, more respectful relationship with their bodies, rooted in function, strength, and self-compassion
Navigate body image concerns that are often reinforced by dance and sport culture
Support optimal performance and energy by aligning nutrition with psychological well-being
Break free from restrictive eating patterns that impair recovery, endurance, and performance
My approach integrates clinical knowledge of eating disorders with an understanding of the unique demands dancers and athletes face—creating a safe, affirming space to heal and reconnect with your body, your athleticism, and your sense of self.
Virtual Group Therapy for Women in Sports & Performing Arts
My women’s groups offer a safe, empowering space for female dancers and athletes to connect, reflect, and grow alongside others who understand the unique pressures of the performing arts. In this supportive community, dancers and athletes can:
- Share experiences without fear of judgment
- Learn practical coping strategies for stress, self-doubt, and body image
Build connections outside of competitive environments
Address the gender-specific pressures that impact performance and well-being
Athletes of all kinds can find strength in shared experience—and the support needed to show up more fully, both in sport and in life.
Specialized Mental Health Approaches for Performing Artists
Working with Co-occurring Challenges
Many dancers and athletes come to me with overlapping concerns that require specialized care. My extensive training allows me to address:
Eating disorders combined with performance anxiety - helping you fuel your body properly while managing pre-performance nerves
OCD symptoms that intersect with perfectionism - distinguishing between helpful attention to detail and limiting compulsions
Trauma history alongside current performance blocks - processing past experiences while building confidence for future performances
Body image concerns within athletic contexts - developing a healthy relationship with the dancer's body and athletic performance
Building Mental Resilience for Long-Term Success
Performance careers require sustained mental strength. I help dancers and athletes develop:
Emotional regulation skills that work both in high-pressure moments and daily training sessions
Adaptive coping strategies for handling criticism, competition, and setbacks
Identity development that encompasses but extends beyond your role as a performer
Communication skills for working effectively with coaches, directors, and artistic collaborators
Stress management techniques that support both peak performance and overall wellness
Supporting Your Performance Journey
Whether you're dealing with a specific challenge or looking to enhance your mental game, I provide:
Intensive therapy options for rapid breakthrough when time is limited
Ongoing support for long-term growth and development
Flexible scheduling that works with demanding training and performance schedules
Evidence-based interventions specifically adapted for the unique needs of performing artists
Collaborative treatment planning that honors your goals and values as both an artist and individual
Supporting Performance Across Texas
While based in Houston, my virtual therapy services are available to dancers and athletes throughout Texas, including Austin and Dallas. This virtual approach offers:
Flexibility to accommodate demanding training schedules
Consistency in care even during travel for performances
Privacy for artists and athletes concerned about stigma
Comfort of engaging in therapy from familiar environments
The Benefits of Working with a Performance Specialist
When you choose Live Mindfully Psychotherapy, you’re working with a therapist who truly understands the world of dance, sport, and performance. This includes:
- The unique pressures that come with auditions, competitions, and stage performance
- The language, norms, and culture of the sport and performance world
- How technical demands and psychological factors are deeply intertwined
- The importance of aligning therapeutic work with performance and practice schedules
- The complex, often fraught relationship dancers and athletes have with their bodies
- The emotional vulnerability required to create and express yourself through movement
This deep understanding allows for therapy that’s not only effective—but truly aligned with your life as a performer and athlete.
Common Challenges We Address
Performance Anxiety
Freezing up during practice or rehearsals
Physical symptoms interfering with execution
Avoidance of challenging movements or techniques
Excessive worry about evaluation
Catastrophic thinking about potential outcomes
Perfectionism and Self-Criticism
Debilitating fear of mistakes
Inability to recognize achievements
Excessive rumination over minor technical errors
All-or-nothing thinking about performance
Setting unrealistic standards for your body
Career Transitions and Identity
Navigating transitions between performance levels
Coping with career changes
Developing identity beyond sport and performance
Managing and planning for retirement
Finding purpose outside of your sport or performing art
Injury Recovery and Prevention
Fear during return to activity after injury
Loss of confidence following physical setbacks
Identity challenges during rehabilitation
Anxiety about performing certain movements after injury
Maintaining motivation during recovery
Mental Cross Training for Comprehensive Wellness
Just as dancers benefit from physical cross training, mental cross training improves overall wellness. My therapy helps dancers develop transferable skills:
Stress management techniques for use in and out of the studio
Communication skills for working with coaches and partners
Emotional regulation strategies that enhance focus
Self-compassion practices to balance perfectionism
Mindfulness skills that improve performance quality
Why Choose Live Mindfully Psychotherapy?
Performance-Focused Therapy Backed by Specialized Expertise
When seeking support for performance-related mental health, it’s essential to work with someone who understands your world. At Live Mindfully Psychotherapy, I bring deep experience working with performers and athletes, offering therapy that blends clinical expertise with real-world insight into high-performance environments.
You can expect:
Specialized experience with dancers, athletes, and other performers
Evidence-based approaches tailored to performance, mindset, and recovery
A deep understanding of dance, fine arts, and sports cultures
Integration of performance psychology and clinical mental health care
Flexible scheduling to fit around rehearsals, competitions, and training
Secure virtual therapy available throughout Texas
Services for Dancers and Athletes
I offer a comprehensive range of services designed to support your mental performance and overall well-being:
Performance Coaching focused on anxiety, performance enhancement, and emotional resilience
EMDR Therapy to process mental blocks and past performance-related experiences
EMDR Intensives for rapid, focused breakthroughs
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to increase focus and psychological flexibility
Specialized Eating Disorder Treatment informed by performance and body image dynamics
Anxiety Management designed specifically for performance contexts
Take the First Step
Don’t let anxiety, perfectionism, or mental blocks limit your potential. Whether you're a dancer, athlete, or high-performing artist, I’m here to help you build the emotional resilience and mental strength needed to thrive.