MindBalanceSPORT

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Build the Mindset Behind Your Potential.

The physical work got you here. MBS takes you further.

Mental Performance Coaching for Athletes

Develop the confidence, focus, and resilience that allow your physical training to show up when it matters most.
DESIGNED FOR ATHLETES
Athletes looking to build confidence, improve composure, and unlock more consistent performance in competition.
THE IMPACT
Mindset training that helps athletes trust their preparation, respond better to adversity, and compete more freely.
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Athlete in a red shirt sitting alone on a turf field, stretching before or after training

Sports Psychology & Mental Performance Coaching for Athletes

MindBalanceSPORT is a mental performance coaching practice — founded and overseen by two licensed psychologists — that helps athletes build the mental skills behind performance: focus, confidence, composure under pressure, and the ability to reset after a mistake. We work with athletes at every stage, from young competitors learning to handle nerves to elite performers chasing consistency, and we match each athlete to a coach who understands their sport and goals. Every athlete's work is built on The MBS Approach, an evidence-based five-stage framework that starts with a formal assessment and tracks measurable progress. Coaching is available in person in McLean, VA and Plano, TX, and online across the country.

Is a Sports Psychologist Different from a Mental Performance Coach?

Mental performance coaching builds the psychological skills behind performance — focus, confidence, composure, consistency — through methods like visualization, attentional control, and self-talk. It is not psychotherapy. A licensed sports psychologist is a licensed mental health professional who can also assess and treat clinical concerns. MindBalanceSPORT is built to offer both: our two co-founders are licensed psychologists, and our coaching team are certified and credentialed mental performance coaches — so we match each athlete to the right professional for what they actually need.

Licensed sports psychologist Mental performance coach (e.g., CMPC)
Training Doctoral-level psychology; state-licensed Graduate training in sport/performance psychology; certification such as the CMPC (AASP)
Focus Clinical mental health and performance Building mental skills for performance — not clinical treatment
Clinical concerns Can assess and treat, within their license Refers clinical concerns to a licensed professional
Title “Psychologist” — a protected, licensed title A coach or consultant — never called a psychologist
At MindBalanceSPORT The two co-founders, Dr. Brenna Chirby, Psy.D. and Dr. Virginia Jones, Psy.D. The coaching team — several hold the CMPC credential

Where Does Your Athlete Fit?

Youth & adolescent athletes

Age-appropriate mental skills training rooted in adolescent psychology — built for young competitors and reassuring for the parents guiding them.

Explore youth coaching

High school, collegiate & elite athletes

For competitors pursuing sustained, high-level performance — sharpening composure, confidence, and the habits that hold up when the stakes are highest.

Explore elite coaching

Ready to start 1:1?

Individual sessions pair your athlete with a coach matched to their sport and goals, working through The MBS Approach.

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Also: coming back from an injury? Injury-recovery & return-to-play · Coaching a team? Team mental performance training

What You Gain

1.

Skills for Life

MBS athletes leave with stronger cognitive tools to excel on the field and in life.
2.

An Experienced Coach

Expert coaches that help you perform at your best and have fun doing it.
3.

Measurable Growth

98% of MBS athletes reported improved performance, confidence, and focus.

Hear from Athletes & Parents

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MBS was a godsend; They helped make competitions more enjoyable/less stressful for her. She also provided useful tools and strategies that despite her young age, really resonated with her. My daughter attributes her gymnastics advancement in large part due to her work with Paula.

Parent of Youth Athlete
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She’s helped me recover my “why” so that I can find joy in running again. MBS has been life changing!

Marathon Runner
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I was able to overcome every mental block I had and return to sport better than before my injury. I have recommended MBS to all of my teammates!

NCAA Division 1 Athlete
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If you are an athlete … this is the place to come. MBS completely changed my outlook and mindset in a time when I needed it most.

NCAA Division 1 Champion
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After just a few sessions with John, we noticed a significant improvement in our son’s motivation and mental approach to sports and life in general.

Parent of Athlete

Individual results vary. These reflect individual experiences and aren’t a guarantee of specific outcomes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What one-on-one mental performance coaching looks like for your athlete.
What mental skills do athletes train at MindBalanceSPORT?

Our athletes build a core set of evidence-based skills: attentional control and focus, pre-competition routines, self-talk and cognitive restructuring, visualization and imagery, stress regulation and resetting after mistakes, confidence, and resilience through setbacks. At MindBalanceSPORT we draw these from established sport-psychology models and practice them until they hold up in real competition.

Look for real credentials — a recognized certification such as the CMPC (Certified Mental Performance Consultant), or a licensed psychologist for clinical needs — plus genuine experience with adolescent athletes and a structured, evidence-based method rather than generic “mindset” talk. At MindBalanceSPORT we’re founded and overseen by licensed psychologists, our coaches include CMPCs and CMPC candidates, and we specialize in youth and adolescent development through The MBS Approach.

A licensed sports psychologist is a licensed mental health professional who can assess and address clinical concerns, while a mental performance coach focuses on building the mental skills behind performance — focus, confidence, composure, consistency — and doesn’t provide clinical treatment. At MindBalanceSPORT the two co-founders are licensed psychologists and the coaching team are mental performance coaches (several hold the CMPC), and we match each athlete to the right professional.

It’s not only for elite athletes. MindBalanceSPORT works with athletes at every level — recreational, youth, high school, collegiate, and elite — with particular depth in youth and adolescent development. Any athlete committed to improving their mental game can benefit.

There’s no single right age — it helps whenever an athlete is committed to improving their mental game. MindBalanceSPORT specializes in youth and adolescent development and delivers age-appropriate training, so athletes as young as 8 can build foundational skills like focus and confidence in a way that fits their stage.

Mental performance coaching at MindBalanceSPORT is private-pay and isn’t typically billed to insurance. If an athlete has a suspected or existing mental health diagnosis, one of our licensed psychologists can evaluate them and, where appropriate, invoice for that clinical portion, handled case by case. Contact us for current rates.

Ask directly which team members hold an active psychology license versus a certification such as the CMPC, and confirm the state(s) of licensure. MindBalanceSPORT is transparent about this: our two co-founders are licensed psychologists, our coaches are identified as coaches, and any coach working toward the CMPC is described that way — never as already certified.

Train Your Other Half.

Whatever your sport or level, a free consultation is the first step toward a stronger mental game.
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