Expanding My Work in Trauma, PTSD and Concussion Support

Over the coming weeks, you may notice a meaningful change to this website.

Sport psychology will remain a central part of my work. I will continue to support athletes, teams, parents and coaches with the mental side of sport: confidence, performance anxiety, focus, motivation, injury recovery, team dynamics and the pressures that can come with competing.

Alongside this, I am excited to share that my website will increasingly reflect a specialist focus in trauma-informed work, including trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and concussion.

This is not a move away from sport psychology. It is an expansion of the way I understand and support people.

Why This Matters

People are never just performers.

An athlete may come to therapy because they are struggling with confidence, returning from injury, feeling anxious before competition, or finding it hard to enjoy the sport they once loved. Behind those experiences, there may also be stress, loss, identity change, difficult life events, relationship pressures, or experiences that have left the nervous system feeling persistently on alert.

Equally, trauma does not only happen in one type of setting. It can follow a frightening event, an accident, a serious injury, a difficult experience in sport, or something that happened much earlier in life. The effects can show up in many ways: feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, constantly watchful, low in mood, struggling to sleep, or finding that certain situations trigger a reaction that feels bigger than the moment itself.

There is no single “right” response to a difficult experience, and there is no timetable for recovery. My aim is to offer a compassionate, thoughtful space in which people can understand what they are experiencing and move forward at a pace that feels manageable.

A Growing Focus on Trauma and PTSD

Future posts will explore trauma in an accessible and non-alarmist way.

We will look at what trauma is, how it can affect the mind and body, and why reactions such as anxiety, avoidance, intrusive memories, emotional numbness or hypervigilance can make sense in the context of what someone has been through. We will also explore PTSD with care and sensitivity, including when it may be helpful to seek professional support.

These blogs are not intended to diagnose anyone or replace individual therapy. Instead, they will provide useful information, gentle reflection points, and practical ways to begin understanding your own experience or supporting someone you care about.

Concussion: Recognising the Emotional Side of Recovery

Concussion is another area that deserves more open conversation.

The physical side of concussion is often discussed, but the psychological and emotional impact can be just as important. Being unable to train, work, study, socialise or return to normal routines can be frustrating and unsettling. For athletes in particular, concussion can affect confidence, identity, mood and the sense of trust they have in their own body.

The future blog series will consider concussion from this broader perspective: coping with uncertainty, managing cognitive fatigue, supporting a loved one, returning to activity with confidence, and navigating the emotional impact of recovery.

Concussion should always be assessed and managed with appropriate medical guidance. In sport, the safest principle is to take suspected concussion seriously and follow a properly supported, gradual return to everyday activity and sport.

Sport Psychology Remains at the Heart of the Website

Sport psychology will continue to be a strong and practical part of the content here.

You can expect future posts on performance anxiety, pre-competition routines, confidence after setbacks, motivation, focus, self-talk, recovery, sleep, burnout, injury, team culture, parenting young athletes and the psychology of transitions in sport.

What will be different is the lens through which some of these topics are explored.

Rather than treating performance as something separate from wellbeing, the future content will recognise that people perform best when they feel supported, understood and safe enough to be fully themselves. Mental skills matter, but so do self-compassion, rest, relationships, values and the capacity to recover after difficult experiences.

What You Can Expect Next

Over the next 12 months, this blog will bring together four connected areas:

• Trauma, PTSD and nervous-system education
• Concussion and the emotional side of recovery
• Sport psychology, performance and mental skills
• Support for parents, coaches, teams and loved ones

Some posts will be practical and action-focused. Others will offer education, reassurance or a chance to pause and reflect. All will be written with the belief that healing, wellbeing and performance do not have to be competing priorities.

Thank you for being here as this website develops.

Whether you are an athlete, a coach, a parent, someone recovering from concussion, or someone looking for support after a difficult experience, I hope this growing collection of resources helps you feel less alone and more informed about the next step that is right for you.