Why this page exists
Skills: attention, pre-performance routines, recovery after a bad outing without a character assassination.
Mental performance work is not only for elite athletes. High-school, college, adult-league, and professional athletes in Chandler all choke, spiral, or lose the love of the game.
If the block is bigger than sport — panic, depression, an identity that only exists in the jersey — we treat that as therapy, not a pep talk.
The hardest part is often just deciding to start. If you are ready, a licensed Arizona clinician is ready too — offering athlete/sports performance by secure video to Chandler clients who want real change without the logistics of an in-office visit.
Here is the local load, named without a brochure: Long, triple-digit summers, sprawling freeway commutes, and a metro that grew faster than its mental-health workforce. The old in-office version meant commuting to an office when you already work long hours. Athlete/Sports Performance does not erase that — it gives Chandler clients a licensed place to stop carrying it alone.
Whether you have been searching for athlete therapy, sports performance coaching, or mental coaching for athletes in Chandler, you are in the right place — it is all part of the athlete/sports performance care we provide to Arizona residents.
Let's look at how that plays out.
You're Not Alone in Chandler
Before anything changes, it helps to name what you are carrying. For many Chandler clients, it sounds something like this:
Your mind is your biggest competitor?
You've trained your body to peak performance. But the mental game? That's where you're losing. Performance anxiety, self-doubt, and pressure are stealing your edge.
There is a clear path forward from here.
Arizona Telehealth Rules, Plainly
Arizona authorizes telemental health when the clinician holds an Arizona license and the client is physically in Arizona at the time of the session. That is the legal line — not a slogan. Empower You Experts will not see you for athlete/sports performance unless you are physically in Arizona during the session.
Dr. Lisa Lavella, PsyD, BC-TMH (Arizona and Illinois) and Christina Liakopoulos, LCSW, BC-TMH (Arizona, Illinois, and Indiana) are named clinicians, not a rotating intern pool. Credentials are on the about pages. We do not invent board affiliations.
Results only matter if they last — which is why the next part matters.
The Difference Online Athlete/Sports Performance Makes
Here is what Chandler clients gain when they start athlete/sports performance with us:
No insurance games, no surprise bills
Straightforward self-pay pricing. You know exactly what you're paying before you book. No claims, no denials, no drama.
Licensed experts with 25+ years of experience each
Arizona-licensed professionals with deep roots in the local mental health community.
What happens in therapy stays in therapy
HIPAA-compliant, encrypted, and completely confidential. Your private life stays private.
Zero judgment, 100% acceptance
Bring your mess. Your secrets. Your shame. This is a space where you can be fully human without fear of rejection.
So what does getting help actually involve?
Your Athlete/Sports Performance Process, Step by Step
Performance work blends sport psychology with practical mental skills — visualization, focus, pressure management, and recovery from setbacks — tailored to your sport and your goals.
Your therapist builds a plan around your goals, not a generic script. Progress is reviewed together, sessions are scheduled around your week, and the work adapts as you do. Most Chandler clients notice meaningful change within the first few weeks.
All you need is a private space and a reliable internet connection. Your therapist handles the rest — secure video, session notes, and a steady plan designed to help Chandler clients feel real relief.
In the first session, your therapist takes time to understand your history, your goals, and what brought you in. Together you set a direction, and from there each session builds steadily on the last.
Let's look at how that plays out.
Local Roots, Online Convenience
From Intel Ocotillo campus to the neighborhoods you call home, Chandler clients can connect with a licensed therapist without crossing town. We proudly serve Chandler clients across Downtown Chandler, Ocotillo, Sun Lakes, Chandler Heights, and beyond.
No matter which part of Chandler you call home, the same standard of care follows you.
Living near Intel Ocotillo campus or out toward the edges of Maricopa County makes no difference to the quality of your sessions — online athlete/sports performance reaches every corner equally.
There is a clear path forward from here.
Why Telehealth Delivers Real Results
There is no substitute for experience. The therapists behind Empower You Experts have spent years helping people through exactly what you are facing, and they bring that depth to every athlete/sports performance session.
Credentials matter here. Every clinician serving Chandler is fully licensed in Arizona and trained in the approaches best suited to athlete/sports performance — so you are getting genuine expertise, not guesswork.
Results come from relationship plus method. We pair proven clinical techniques with clinicians who actually connect with their clients, because the bond between you and your therapist is one of the strongest predictors of success.
So what does getting help actually involve?
Methods Chandler clients Can Feel
Pre-performance routines and attention skills.
Recovery after a bad outing without a character assassination.
Clinical therapy when anxiety or depression is wearing a jersey.
We review progress in language you can feel — sleep, conflict, panic frequency, follow-through — not a vague “how was your week.” If a method is not moving the needle for Chandler clients, we change it.
Between sessions, you leave with something small enough to actually do. The work is supposed to live in Chandler, not only inside a 50-minute window.
Who this is for
Chandler athletes from high-school to adult-league who are choking, spiraling, or losing the love of the game.
That brings us to the part most people wonder about.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is sports performance work only for elite athletes?
No. High-school, college, adult-league, and professional athletes all choke, spiral, or lose the love of the game. Mental performance work in Chandler covers focus, pressure, injury identity, and the anxiety that shows up as a missed free throw or a tight chest before a start. It is not a pep talk. It is skills — visualization, attention, recovery after a bad outing — plus therapy when the block is bigger than sport.
Do you have a therapy office in Chandler?
Our home office is real: 20715 North Pima Road, Suite 108, Scottsdale, Arizona 85255. We do not invent a storefront in every city on this site. Athlete/Sports Performance for Chandler residents is licensed Arizona telehealth — you meet by secure video while you are physically in Arizona. That is a service-area practice, not a fake local clinic. If you need the address for records or a map pin, it is North Scottsdale. It is not a Chandler waiting room we pretended to open so a page would rank. The clinician is named. The license is the state you sit in during the session.
Are your therapists actually licensed to treat people in Arizona?
Yes. Telehealth is licensed by the state where you are sitting during the session, not by the city on the URL. Dr. Lisa Lavella, PsyD, BC-TMH is licensed in Arizona and Illinois. Christina Liakopoulos, LCSW, BC-TMH is licensed in Arizona, Illinois, and Indiana. If you live in Chandler, you simply need to be physically in Arizona when we meet. We do not “see” clients in states where we are not licensed, and we will not pretend a video call erases that rule. The free consult is also where we confirm fit, timing, and whether self-pay or an accepted plan makes sense for you.
Who would I actually work with for athlete/sports performance?
Dr. Lisa Lavella, PsyD, BC-TMH (Arizona and Illinois) and Christina Liakopoulos, LCSW, BC-TMH (Arizona, Illinois, and Indiana). They are named clinicians with decades of practice — not a matching engine and not a new intern every month. The free consult is how you meet the person, ask about athlete/sports performance, and decide if the fit is right. Credentials live on the about pages. We will not hide behind a brand voice when you deserve a human being. If the pairing is wrong, we would rather say so than keep a mismatched hour.
Is online athlete/sports performance in Chandler as real as sitting in an office?
For most of the concerns we treat, the research says yes — outcomes track the relationship and the method, not the waiting room. What changes in Chandler is logistics. You skip the commute, the parking, and the “who saw me walk in” problem. Sessions run on encrypted, HIPAA-compliant video. You still get a named clinician, a plan you both can explain, and homework that lives in your actual week. If video is a poor fit (safety, technology, or preference), we will say so in the consult rather than force a format that does not serve you.
Do you take insurance for athlete/sports performance in Arizona?
We are primarily a cash-pay practice and currently accept some insurance plans. Many clients in Chandler choose self-pay for privacy (sessions do not automatically hit a medical record the way a fully billed insurance episode can) and for simplicity — no surprise denials mid-treatment. We will tell you, before you commit, whether your plan is one we can bill and what a self-pay session costs. We do not advertise “we take everything” because that would be untrue. Call or use the consult form and we will be specific about fee, frequency, and whether a superbill is available. If money is the only barrier, say so in the consult; we would rather have an honest conversation than a bait-and-switch about coverage.
What actually happens in the first athlete/sports performance session?
The first session is an honest conversation, not an interrogation. We cover what brought you in, what you have already tried, how athlete/sports performance has (or has not) helped before, and what “better” would look like in your life in Chandler — sleep, work, relationships, the stuff you can feel. You will leave with a sense of the clinician, the pace, and whether the fit is right. There is no pressure to unload your whole history on day one. If it is not a fit, we would rather help you redirect than keep a mismatched pairing.
If I live in a smaller Chandler community, is this actually private?
Your sessions are protected by law and by ethics, with the usual mandated-reporting exceptions (risk of harm, abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult). Telehealth adds a practical privacy layer a storefront office cannot: nobody in Chandler watches you park at a clinic. You still need a closed door and headphones on your side. We use encrypted video. We will not discuss you in the grocery store, on a sideline, or in a Facebook group. If you share a house or a campus, we will help you plan a setting that is actually private — a parked car with a headset counts.