How CBT at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis Supports Kids with Sports Anxiety
Understanding Sports Anxiety in Young Athletes
Image Credit: Unsplash Lars Bo Nielsen @lbnielsen
For many kids, sports bring excitement, connection, and confidence. But for some, the pressure to perform, fear of failure, or past mistakes can bring up a lot of stress.
We often hear from parents who notice their child pulling away from activities they once loved, getting stomachaches before games, being tearful during practice, or even refusing to play altogether.
This isn't about a lack of motivation or effort. It's about anxiety - big and overwhelming feelings that show up and make it hard to be present, focused, and confident out on the field or court.
At Compassionate Counseling St. Louis, one of the most effective tools we use to help is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Our expert team of St. Louis therapists blend an approach of creative interventions and CBT specifically set-up just for your child and their needs.
How CBT Helps Kids Reframe Fear and Rebuild Confidence
CBT is a very well-researched approach that helps the children, teens and college students that come to Compassionate Counseling St. Louis recognize how thoughts play a role in anxiety, and learn new ways to respond to them. At Compassionate Counseling St. Louis, our anxiety therapists work with young athletes to explore unhelpful thoughts like:
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“If I mess up, everyone will think I’m a failure.”
“I have to be perfect or I’ll disappoint my team.”
“I’m not good enough to play.”
These thoughts can spiral into physical symptoms (like nausea, sweating, or racing heart), emotional overwhelm, or avoidance behaviors.
At Compassionate Counseling St. Louis, our St. Louis therapist team helps kids to challenge these thoughts, learn coping strategies, and practice staying grounded during high-pressure moments. Some tools we use include visualization, mindfulness techniques, or creative approaches like art and play therapy specifically tailored to your child’s needs.
CBT empowers kids. It gives them language to talk about what’s happening, tools to self-regulate, and the resilience to face challenges with confidence.
A Team Approach… Because Kids Don’t Have to Do This Alone
We know that watching your child struggle with big emotions can be really hard and overwhelming. That’s why we involve parents and practice Feedback Informed Treatment at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis. We create space for your child that they can grow in, not a space of pressure.
If your child is struggling with sports-related anxiety, know that you’re not alone and neither are they.
Support for Parents is Available!
Parenting a child struggling with big emotions can be overwhelming. Our Expert Parent Coaches dive into your unique situation and teach you strategies to weather the parenting storm.
Ready to Take the First Step?
If you're seeing signs of sports anxiety in your child, we’re here to help. Schedule a free consultation to learn more about working with one of our licensed St. Louis therapists who specialize in CBT for kids. Let’s help your child move from feeling overwhelmed to feeling confident and in control.
If you are searching for a therapist near me and found Compassionate Counseling St. Louis, we’d love to talk! Curious to learn more about how St. Louis therapy at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis can help your child with sports anxiety? Reach out to us at hello@compassionatecounselingstl.com. As anxiety experts providing St. Louis therapy, we love working with kids, teens, college students and parents to help manage their anxiety, stress, and anger. Compassionate Counseling St. Louis is located in Clayton, MO and works with families by offering both in-person counseling and online therapy throughout St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Ladue, University City, Town and Country, Webster Groves, Creve Couer, Kirkwood, Richmond Heights, and Brentwood. We also provide online therapy Missouri -wide to teens and college students. You can set up your first free consult on this website, on our consultation page.