Sport and Performance Counseling
Mental Health Counseling
Browse for resources and daily nuggets of information! Welcome to my page!
I am Dr. Erega and I am so excited you found your way to my page! My goal is to provide you with as many resources as I can to help you on your journey, whatever your journey may be. I specialize in Sport and Performance Counseling. I am a former Division I student-athlete, who also had a professional career and trained for the 2012 Olympics, so I can personally relate to many obstacles and challe
nges student-athletes experience today. My educational background is in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, which prepared me to provide services and support with concerns that require a more detailed treatment plan. My approach with all of my clients is from a holistic standpoint! You are a whole person and you have many roles and to me all of them are important! I value your input and want to help you achieve your goals! I practice from cognitive behavioral approach and I am very solution-focused. I want to help you reach your goals as quickly as possible, however, that does require work on your part! Browse around, see what you like, and contact me with any questions you may have! Sincerely,
Dr. Erega , LPC/ LCMHC
04/12/2024
Recently I was invited to speak on a Sojourning Scholar podcast with Chuky Ofoegbu and share about international student and international student-athlete experiences of studying in the U.S. We discussed my journey as an international , adjustment and how that led me to where I am now. Something we discussed in greater detail is the process and stages of and and how that can impact one’s .
Give it a listen or share it with future international students, so they can prepare for what to expect.
In this episode of the Sojourning Scholar Podcast, I chatted with Dr. Arna Erega. Dr. Erega shares the identity of a former elite international student-athlete. She competed in Division I intercollegiate athletics and pursued her dreams in the professional track and field arena as an Olympic hopef...
02/06/2024
New Blog! Finding the Zone: Arousal Regulation in Sport Psychology
I discuss components of arousal regulation and how mental tools can be used to cultivate and regulate arousal.
A functional understanding of arousal is essential for performers to effectively manage their energy levels and performances. Arousal is a blend of physiological and psychological activation, varying in intensity, and it plays a crucial role in athletic performance. Mastering the art of arousal regu...
02/05/2024
New blog! Sharpening focus: The Art of Attention Control in Sport Psychology
In the fast-paced and dynamic world of sports, where split-second decisions can define success, the ability to control attention emerges as a game-changing skill. Attention control allows us to direct our focus purposefully and effectively. Let's discuss how mastering this skill can help one’s per...
01/29/2024
In this blog, I discuss the transformative power of self-confidence, what the building blocks of self-confidence are, and how sport psychology clinicians can help athletes and high-performance individuals.
Addressing building blocks of self-confidence and the role of sport psychology clinicians in helping one develop confidence.
01/25/2024
Igniting the Fire Within: The Role of Motivation in Sport Psychology
Take a look at my latest blog!
In the competitive athletic world, the difference between victory and defeat can be milliseconds, and the power of motivation emerges as a driving force that propels athletes toward greatness. As a key component of sport psychology mental skills, motivation is not just a fleeting emotion; it is the....
01/24/2024
New blog! Unleashing Potential: The Power of Sport Psychology Mental Skills
In the world of sports, physical prowess is just one part of the equation. Many athletes today are openly speaking about their mental health and attributing a significant portion of their success to mastering the mental aspects of their craft. Sport psychology provides us with mental skills, which c...
01/23/2024
New blog post!! Discussing the difference between counseling therapy and performance-enhancing services. Which one is the right fit for you?
Counseling therapy and performance-enhancing services may have some overlaps however they serve very different purposes. Mental health and well-being are just as important as performance optimization. More and more athletes are speaking up about their mental health and how it impacts their performan...
01/22/2024
In the recent blog, I discussed reasons why people seek counseling and therapy.
Still on a journey to help dismantle stigma related to mental health. https://wix.to/BWy2EiE
05/01/2023
Great resource for parents! Give it a listen! Thank you Robin and Jackie for having me and the opportunity to share my knowledge and experience!
The Successful Parenting podcast embodies an approach which encourages families to develop strategies aligned with their values, personal history, personality, and child’s emotional and cognitive development, resulting in more resilient, independent “future adults.” Families learn to establish...
07/05/2022
We have all heard statements such as "Winners never quit and quitters never win", "Go hard or go home", or "No pain no gain". These slogans typify the 110% effort orientation coaches promote.
There is nothing wrong with a little push at times or strong encouragement, however, when we continue to reward such efforts without also emphasizing the need to recognize and accept injuries, we find ourselves in trouble.
Coaches, trainers, and even parents ought to teach athletes to distinguish the normal discomfort accompanying overload and increased training volumes from the pain accompanying the onset of injuries.
Many athletes are socialized and conditioned to believe they must train through pain and that "more is always better". The subliminal messages of lesser worth should be addressed and challenged early on. Athletes need to know and understand that an injury does not define their worth and that they are still an important part of the team even while in rehab.
06/29/2022
We live in a world of excess and consumerism- a world where we're encouraged to spend more, buy more, have more. In going after "more", we often end up feeling overwhelmed or empty.
This week, embrace the beauty of living with less by refraining from buying things you don't truly need. Maybe you can pack your own lunch this week, fix something instead of replacing it, donate items you no longer use, or stay off amazon from a couple days. How can you embrace the beauty of living with less in other parts of your life?
06/29/2022
Research indicates that psychological stress and emotions have an impact on physiological part of injury recovery.
Studies show that high levels of depression and stress can disrupt body's natural healing process. Psychological stress increases catecholamines and glucocorticoids, which impair the movement of healing immune cells to the site of the injury and interfere with the removal of damaged tissue.
Prolonged stress may also decrease the action of insulin-like growth hormones that are critical during the rebuilding process. Stress also affects sleep quality, which is an important factor in injury recovery.
06/27/2022
Every team, every training group has a flow and its own climate created by its members.
When an athlete gets injured that flow and climate may be impacted, especially in team sports.
The flow can be impacted negatively when a team loses a key player they have been practicing plays with the entire off season.
Other times, flow can be impacted positively when other athletes step up to the challenge and contribute more effort, which brings the team closer.
Being aware that group processes may be impacted allows coaches and teammates better prepare by discussing how they may shift and transition while the injured athlete is recovering.
06/22/2022
When an athlete is injured, it is expected that they may fear decline in performance.
However, injury may not always result in performance decrements. Sometimes athletes may benefit from rehabilitation as they may give their body more rest, they may focus on strengthening smaller muscles and ligaments that they normally do not attend to, which can result in them coming back stronger.
A lot of it has to do with athletes' mindset and attitude.
It is important to remember that coming back to full training and competition is also part of the recovery cycle.
Read below for on how to deal with decline in performance.
06/20/2022
When one is unable to compete and perform due to an injury, confidence level may be impacted.
It may be difficult for the athlete to maintain the level of enthusiasm and positive mindset they had prior to injury. This may be more pronounced in athletes with strong athletic identity.
Helping athletes through rehabilitation and recovery process is just as psychological as it is physical.
How to maintain confidence?
💥Use of mental skills and stress management can be of significant importance.
💥Use imagery and visualization.
💥Make a list of your strengths.
💥Use positive self-talk.
💥Focus on progress and improvement instead of what you are not accomplishing yet.
06/16/2022
We experience stress and anxiety when we are mired in the past or worried about the future. Stressing over things that are finished or haven't yet happened wastes our energy on things we can't control. All we have is this moment. And this moment contains all we need.
Take a moment to check in with yourself about something you are worried about. Is it truly rooted in this present moment? Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Connect to the now. How do you feel right now? What do you know right now? What small step can you take right now?
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Hurdling Through Life’s therapist Arna Erega is a licensed professional counselor (LPC/I) in the state of South Carolina. She is also a certified hypnotherapist through National Guild of Hypnotists, Inc. and a certified life coach through New Life Coach, Inc.
Arna’s history of being a student-athlete at a Division I school and a former professional track athlete (100m Hurdles) for her native land of Croatia equips her not just with vast knowledge, but with first hand experience that allows her to closely relate to her clients. Arna is focused on serving competitive and athletic populations, both individuals and groups, and is eager to help clients overcome everyday life issues as well as problems or concerns related to their performance. Arna provides number of psychotherapeutic services, which include comprehensive assessments and treatment of anxiety, mood, stress, trauma, and other mental health disorders, career development, and specific sport performance issues and concerns.
Arna’s focus is upon Cognitive Behavioral and Solution-Focused theoretical therapeutic approaches as well as psychoanalytic approach- Hypnotherapy. Cognitive behavior therapy analyzes how your beliefs and perception to a situation interact with your behavior(s). Solution-Focused therapy focuses upon solution building, rather than problem solving. Hypnosis is extremely successful in treating stress, anxiety, depression, phobias, etc and overall changing the emotional responses we attach to our and others’ behaviors. Emotion drives behavior, stories frame emotions and give them meaning. If we change the emotion we can avoid attaching negative and unproductive “definitions” to the stories we tell ourselves!
Allow us the privilege to walk beside you on your journey to greatness!
