Therapy For Athletes
With With Cal Klingensmith
Therapist and Mental Performance Coach
I was a college athlete and then worked with athletes at NYU.
I know how all-consuming sports can get. I do this work because looking back, I truly wish I’d spent so much less time stressing about sports.
Is sports taking up more space in your life than you want it to?
Has striving for improvement in your sport left you overly fixated on food, exercise and the way your body looks?
Are you wondering who you are outside of athletics?
Is your relationship to your sport changing and your identity alongside it?
They can also bring pressure to perform, stress around recruiting, complicated relationships with coaches and teammates, changes in your relationship with food, and questions about who you are beyond your sport.
Therapy gives you a place to step back, understand your relationship with sports, and figure out what you want from it now.
Athletes Come To Me For:
Game anxiety
Recruiting stress
Coach conflict
Teammate conflict
Food and body concerns
Stepping back
Quitting a sport
Asking “now what?”
Therapy can help you take a closer look at your relationship with sports and also explore who you are beyond being an athlete.
Your Sport Can Be Part Of Your Identity Without Being All Of It
What Athlete Therapy Is Like With Me
We’ll start by looking at what’s happening right now and what you want to be different. We will explore your relationship with your sport, how you respond to pressure, and what happens when performance defines who you are.
Together, we can work on ways to center yourself and find calm while competing. We can, change any narratives you’re stuck on that are interfering with performance,, reconnect with why you started playing, and build up your sense of value outside of sports for balance.
Therapy can also help with communication, focus, emotional regulation, and the transition from playing sports to whatever comes next.
Therapy Tools I Use With Athletes
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Builds practical skills for managing intense emotions and pressure and helps athletes reset and regulate themselves.
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Looks at patterns in relationships to support better communication with coaches, teammates, parents, and others.
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Focuses on relationships and life changes to help athletes manage transitions and shifting roles.
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Helps you understand different parts of yourself and supports a stronger sense of identity beyond athletics.
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Explores the patterns underneath current struggles to help you understand your relationship with sports and yourself.
Sports Therapy With Results
After working together, athletes report:
The sport is fun again
Less game anxiety
Easier communication with coaches + teammates
Increased focus
A bad game doesn’t ruin the week
More balanced identity
You’ve already put in the physical work. Our work helps your mind stop getting in the way of it.
“You can care about performance while also having a life, relationships, and a sense of self beyond your sport.”
Hi, I’m Cal Klingensmith.
I loved being a college athlete, and it was also very stressful. In hindsight, I was so focused on sports that I did miss out on other wonderful aspects of college life.
I know how much time and mental energy sports can take, the extent that sports can affect mental health and I understand how hard it can be to find balance.
My sessions are relaxed, collaborative, and direct.
My office gives living room vibes. I bike to work most days, my desk is always a bit messy, and I like to wear jeans and T-shirts, with shorts in the summer. Despite my casual demeanor, I’m tenacious and deeply value my work with clients.
Outside of therapy I’m still super active, I love skiing, cycling, rec softball, and games of all kinds. I’m also a parent to a young toddler and a native New Yorker.
If you’re ready to take the first step, I’d love to connect.
Availability: I provide in-person therapy in New York City, and virtual therapy via telehealth for clients across New York State and Connecticut.
Education, Credentials & Trainings
New York University Silver School of Social Work, MSW
Macalester College, BA
Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy, Center for the Study of Anorexia and Bulimia
DBT Intensive Training, Behavioral Tech
NYU Counseling and Wellness Services, Primary Therapist, DBT, Gender and Sexuality, and Eating Disorder Teams
Metro Behavioral Health Associates, Eating Disorder Clinician
3 Steps To Get Started
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Reach out and tell me a little about what’s been happening and what you want help with.
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We’ll talk about what’s bringing you in, what you’re hoping will change, and whether I’m the right fit.
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We’ll take a deeper look at the performance issue, injury, pain, anxiety, or other stressors that are keeping you stuck and start building a plan.
We’ll use therapy and mental-performance strategies to help you feel more grounded, confident, and prepared to compete without your mind working against you.