Video: Chalk Talk Group Sports Therapy Program for At Risk Youth

Prezi: Sport Psychology as a video game?

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The direct link is: http://prezi.com/ngglmjhjhiqs/present/?auth_key=bsjqcyr&follow=rebekahroulier

Sport can seem like a video game at times...overcoming obstacles and utilizing your mental skills to reach the end goal.

Please feel free to post your Prezi links on the topics of sport psychology, coaching, teambuilding, mental health, etc. 

Upcoming Conference Presentations

On, November 28th I will have the pleasure of presenting with Youth Village's Doc Wayne Coach Nikki Valila. Our workshop,  DBT: Sports in Behavioral Treatment of Youth is an afternoon session at the Providers’ Council 37th Annual Convention & Expo: Caring It Forward on November, 28th.

DBT: Sports in Behavioral Treatment of Youth

• Rebekah Conway Roulier, General Manager, Doc Wayne Athletic League

• Nikki Valila, Sexual Exploitation Coordinator, Youth Villages-Germaine Lawrence Campus

The workshop will cover the use of sports in the group therapy setting to increase self-esteem, self-concept, social awareness and to improve overall effective emotion management. Techniques from Doc Wayne’s sport-based do the good curriculum will be taught.

To register for the conference and Doc Wayne’s afternoon workshop click here: http://secure.providers.org/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&id=453

On February 23rd, I'll be presenting at the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, and Dance's Eastern District Convention (AAHPERD EDA) in Valley Forge, PA on Use of a Therapeutic Curriculum in Physical Education from 2:45-4:00PM. 

Use of a Therapeutic Curriculum in Physical Education

• Rebekah Conway Roulier, General Manager, Doc Wayne Athletic League

• Presider: Sheldon Sucre, Adelphi University, NY  

Doc Wayne presents training on the use of its therapeutic sport curriculum, do the good, as a framework for teaching physical education in residential treatment settings, therapeutic day schools, underserved communities, and for differently abled youth.  Do the good works to increase self-esteem and promote overall effective emotion management.

To register for the conference and Doc Wayne's afternoon workshop click here: http://www.aahperd.org/about/districts/eastern/convention.cfm

Conference Information: http://www.scribd.com/doc/110236522/Providers-Council-37th-Annual-Convention-Expo-Caring-It-Forward

Blades of Emotions-14 Seconds of Positive Thoughts

Doc Wayne - do the good Program Video

Doc Wayne (www.docwayne.org)

Favorite Photos This Week

Here are a few of my favorite photos capturing Week 7 of Doc Wayne Girls and Boys Flag Football.

do the good, 

RR

www.docwayne.org 

Practical Sport Psychology Skills for Goalkeepers

If you are a goalkeeper, or coach one, you understand it is one of the most mentally challenging positions in sport. Here are a few sport psych tips! Please send me a note at rebekahconwayroulier@gmail.com for assistance implementing them. 

RR

Refocusing

·         Let your goalkeepers know that their feelings before the game are normal and part of their pre-game routine. Nerves are often part of the experience and can even be helpful. 

·         Deep breathing

·         Trigger focus (tapping the post, tapping your shin guard with your cleat, walking across the penalty spot). Use this trigger focus to be forgetful, clear your head and focus on the next play. 

·         Cue word or phrase (can be written on their gloves as a reminder)

Visualization

·         Imagery of your best self.

·         “Mental practice” is important spend time on. The body does not differentiate between the real and the imagined.  

Mastering Mental Skills

·         New skills take time (don't try to learn a new skill on game day).

·         Put effort into it!

Playing not Performing

·         Focus on the little things you are doing well when mental skills, practice or the game aren’t going well.

·         Build on small successes.

Expand on positive emotions

·         When the ball is in the attacking third, dwell on the feelings of accomplishment and positive emotions.

·         This can help you portray confidence, poise, and a sense of control to your team and the opponent through verbal and non-verbal communication.  

Know your strengths (or your athletes' strengths)!

·         Building on success might also mean leaning on your strengths. It's okay not to be great at everything. Some of the greatest athletes are known for only focusing on their errors, also see your strengths and what you do well. 

·         Each goalkeeper is different.

Play-Moments of Relief

I was observing a young girl having fun in a park this Memorial Day weekend and couldn't help but think of "moments of relief" desperately needed by victims of complex trauma. Sport (and the simple joy of play) provides relief from the burden of grief, sadness, abandonment, loneliness, and a variety of feelings that haunt trauma victims constantly. Being able to play on the swings or be part of a team allows them to leave these feelings behind for a few moments or possibly an hour or more. This is a gift that can't be underestimated. 

do the good,
RR
www.docwayne.org

Walk for Hunger in Photos

This past Sunday I took part in The Walk for Hunger. Here are some photos!

do the good

RR

www.docwayne.org

(Showing Up!)

(HOPE!)

(A veteran walker)

CPT (Control, Plan and Trust) Strategy for Athletes

Control, Plan and Trust

How do you help behavioral kids in between plays on the field?  Some kids struggle, for a variety of reasons, when given even small amounts of down time. Implement CPT, or performance based routines, to help players stay focused.  Intentionally select sport-based rituals for players to create consistency. 

When players are not actively engaged in the game they are often assisted by a mental check-list to complete prior to the next active play.

Organize the check list in the following way:

Control:  You can only control yourself. Use techniques such as deep breathing, imagery, cue words, or other coping skills to relax.

Plan-What is the situation in the game. What is my Plan A? Plan B?

Trust- Stop thinking and trust yourself to deal with what is happening in front of you. 

RR 

RRoulier@docwayne.org

"Girls on the Field" Sport Psychology Session Photos

Maren Madore, Kristen Rasmussen and Rebekah Conway Roulier (TEAM DOC WAYNE)

Rebekah Conway Roulier Facilitating

Catch! (Rebekah Conway Roulier with Middle School Participant)

Great Goals

Goal setting can be very powerful in changing behavior. Not only does goal setting help people achieve what they are aiming for, but it also increases their self-confidence, motivation, and decreases anxiety. 

Effective goal setting requires hard work. Setting specific, measurable, adjustable, realistic, and timely goals is a step in the right direction. Below are a few additional helpful hints to create GREAT GOALS! Systematically providing feedback and following up with athletes can make all the difference.  

Coaches, when beginning goal setting as a team for the season don't forget the power of modeling. Take part in the goal setting process. 

Great goals are:   

1. Positively Phrased

2. Specific and Measurable

3. Manageable and Achievable

4. Written down

5. Performance goals, not outcome goals

6. Something the athlete actually wants to work towards! 

7. Simple

Using these tips, create a structure within your team to make goal setting part of your team culture (a ritual, fun, and enforced by participants). 

RR

Doc Wayne and CFP at Northeast Atlantic Sport Psychology Conference

NORTHEAST ATLANTIC SPORT PSYCHOLOGY CONFERENCE

Communities for People's Therapeutic Sports Program (TSP) and Doc Wayne (DW) presented at the Northeast Atlantic Sport Psychology Conference in Philadelphia on Friday, March, 23rd. Rebekah Conway Roulier, Ed.M and Emily E. Pike, LICSW presented "The Use of Sport in The Behavioral Health Treatment of Youth."
Check out the video here.
http://youtu.be/vg3ywOf5y3I