Why this page exists
Performance is as much mental as physical. Sports performance therapy helps Elkhart athletes master focus, manage pressure, and compete with confidence.
The difference between good and great often lives between the ears. Mental performance coaching gives Elkhart athletes the tools to stay composed, motivated, and resilient.
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.
Across Elkhart County, more residents are choosing to take their mental health seriously — and online athlete/sports performance makes that easier than ever. From the first session, you are met with warmth, expertise, and a plan built around you.
Here is the local load, named without a brochure: RV-industry cycles: hiring surges, layoffs, and household stress that tracks the plant schedule. The old in-office version meant CR-17 or US-20 delay for an appointment. Athlete/Sports Performance does not erase that — it gives Elkhart residents 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 Elkhart, you are in the right place — it is all part of the athlete/sports performance care we provide to Indiana residents.
Results only matter if they last — which is why the next part matters.
You're Not Alone in Elkhart
Before anything changes, it helps to name what you are carrying. For many Elkhart residents, 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.
How Online Athlete/Sports Performance Actually Works
Performance work blends sport psychology with practical mental skills — visualization, focus, pressure management, and recovery from setbacks — tailored to your sport and your goals.
The process is collaborative, not clinical-feeling. Your therapist asks, listens, reflects, and offers practical tools you can use between sessions — so the work continues even after you log off.
There is no one-size-fits-all here. Your clinician draws on proven, evidence-based methods and tailors them to you, checking in regularly to make sure the approach is working and adjusting when it needs to.
Confidentiality is built in from the start. Sessions run on encrypted, HIPAA-compliant software, and what you share stays between you and your Indiana-licensed therapist, exactly as it should.
The good news is that none of this is permanent.
Why Elkhart residents Choose Empower You Experts
Here is what Elkhart residents gain when they start athlete/sports performance with us:
Licensed experts with 25+ years of experience each
Indiana-licensed therapists bringing world-class care to the Hoosier state.
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.
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.
Your schedule, respected
Early morning. Lunch break. After the kids are asleep. We offer flexible hours because life doesn't pause for therapy.
There is a clear path forward from here.
Real Experience, Real Results
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.
Care should match your reality. That is why our Indiana clinicians prioritize fit, flexibility, and follow-through — the things that actually keep people in therapy long enough to see 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.
Let's look at how that plays out.
Serving Elkhart and the Surrounding Area
Because care is delivered online, your location in Elkhart is never a barrier. RV-industry families and Elkhart County households.
We are proud to serve residents throughout Elkhart County, from the center of Elkhart out to the surrounding communities. Wherever you are, quality athlete/sports performance is within reach.
No matter which part of Elkhart you call home, the same standard of care follows you. We proudly serve Elkhart residents across Downtown, East Lake, West Lusher, Riverview, and beyond.
That brings us to the part most people wonder about.
In-Office or Online: What Fits Your Life
Telehealth also widens your options. Instead of choosing from whoever happens to be nearby, you are matched with a clinician licensed in Indiana who genuinely specializes in what you need.
There is no waiting room and no drive home afterward. You finish a session and step right back into your day, which makes online athlete/sports performance far easier to weave into a busy Elkhart schedule.
Traditional therapy means traffic, parking, time off work, and a waiting room. Online athlete/sports performance removes every one of those barriers while keeping the quality of care identical. For busy Elkhart residents, that difference is what makes therapy sustainable.
But understanding the problem is only half of it.
How We Actually Practice Athlete/Sports Performance
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.
Named clinicians matter here: Dr. Lisa Lavella, PsyD, BC-TMH and Christina Liakopoulos, LCSW, BC-TMH are not a rotating intern pool. You keep a person, not a matching algorithm.
Methods are not a menu of buzzwords. For athlete/sports performance, we pick tools that match the problem — cognitive work, skills you can use the same day, and a relationship honest enough to tell you when something is not working.
Who this is for
Elkhart athletes from high-school to adult-league who are choking, spiraling, or losing the love of the game.
Here's what that looks like in practice.
Indiana Telehealth Rules, Plainly
Indiana-licensed clinicians may provide telehealth to clients who are physically located in Indiana during 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 Indiana 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.
And this is where the difference really shows.
Before You Begin: FAQs
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 Elkhart 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 Elkhart?
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 Elkhart residents is licensed Indiana telehealth — you meet by secure video while you are physically in Indiana. 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 Elkhart 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 Indiana?
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 Elkhart, you simply need to be physically in Indiana 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 Elkhart 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 Elkhart 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 Indiana?
We are primarily a cash-pay practice and currently accept some insurance plans. Many clients in Elkhart 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 Elkhart — 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 Elkhart 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 Elkhart 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.