Why this page exists
Performance is as much mental as physical. Sports performance therapy helps Schaumburg athletes master focus, manage pressure, and compete with confidence.
Mental performance work is not only for elite athletes. High-school, college, adult-league, and professional athletes in Schaumburg 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.
Mental health is health. In a city the size of Schaumburg — home to roughly 78,000 people — countless neighbors quietly wrestle with the same things you do. Athlete/Sports Performance is how many of them are finally turning the corner.
Here is the local load, named without a brochure: Dense urban and inner-suburban life: winter darkness, transit or expressway commutes, and high-pressure careers. The old in-office version meant I-90 or Woodfield parking maze. Athlete/Sports Performance does not erase that — it gives Schaumburg community members 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 Schaumburg, you are in the right place — it is all part of the athlete/sports performance care we provide to Illinois residents.
Here's what that looks like in practice.
You're Not Alone in Schaumburg
Before anything changes, it helps to name what you are carrying. For many Schaumburg community members, 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.
That is exactly where athlete/sports performance comes in.
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.
It starts with a free consultation — a no-pressure conversation to understand what you are facing and whether we are the right fit. From there, you are matched with a clinician licensed in Illinois who specializes in athlete/sports performance.
Booking is simple: choose a time that works, complete a brief intake, and meet your Illinois-licensed clinician by video. No referrals to chase, no parking to find — just focused care from wherever you are in Schaumburg.
Confidentiality is built in from the start. Sessions run on encrypted, HIPAA-compliant software, and what you share stays between you and your Illinois-licensed therapist, exactly as it should.
That is exactly where athlete/sports performance comes in.
Why This Approach Works for Schaumburg
Here is what Schaumburg community members gain when they start athlete/sports performance with us:
Therapy from your couch, car, or closet
No commute. No waiting room. No judgmental receptionist. Log in from wherever you feel safe and comfortable.
Licensed experts with 25+ years of experience each
Illinois-licensed experts serving the Chicagoland area and beyond.
Your schedule, respected
Early morning. Lunch break. After the kids are asleep. We offer flexible hours because life doesn't pause for therapy.
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.
Results only matter if they last — which is why the next part matters.
Care Schaumburg community members Trust
Care should match your reality. That is why our Illinois clinicians prioritize fit, flexibility, and follow-through — the things that actually keep people in therapy long enough to see results.
We measure success the way you do: by how you feel and function in your daily life. Your clinician revisits your goals throughout care to make sure the work is genuinely moving the needle.
Telehealth is not a compromise. Research consistently shows online therapy is as effective as in-person care for most concerns, and Schaumburg community members get the added benefit of consistency: it is far easier to keep an appointment you can attend from anywhere.
And this is where the difference really shows.
Local Roots, Online Convenience
Living near Woodfield Mall or out toward the edges of Cook County makes no difference to the quality of your sessions — online athlete/sports performance reaches every corner equally.
Because care is delivered online, your location in Schaumburg is never a barrier. Corporate-campus professionals and northwest-suburban families.
We are proud to serve community members throughout Cook County, from the center of Schaumburg out to the surrounding communities. Wherever you are, quality athlete/sports performance is within reach.
But understanding the problem is only half of it.
Telehealth vs. the Drive Across Schaumburg
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 Schaumburg schedule.
In-office visits ask you to rearrange your life around an appointment. Telehealth athlete/sports performance does the opposite — it fits into the life you already have. The therapeutic relationship is just as real; only the commute disappears.
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 Schaumburg community members, that difference is what makes therapy sustainable.
But understanding the problem is only half of it.
What Happens in a Athlete/Sports Performance Session
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.
Licensure is the floor. You must be physically in Illinois during the session. We will not pretend a video call erases a state line.
Who this is for
Schaumburg athletes from high-school to adult-league who are choking, spiraling, or losing the love of the game.
There is a clear path forward from here.
Who Can Legally See You in Schaumburg
Illinois-licensed clinicians may provide telehealth to clients who are physically located in Illinois 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 Illinois 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.
There is a clear path forward from here.
What to Know About Athlete/Sports Performance in Schaumburg
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 Schaumburg 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 Schaumburg?
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 Schaumburg residents is licensed Illinois telehealth — you meet by secure video while you are physically in Illinois. 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 Schaumburg 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 Illinois?
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 Schaumburg, you simply need to be physically in Illinois 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 Schaumburg 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 Schaumburg 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 Illinois?
We are primarily a cash-pay practice and currently accept some insurance plans. Many clients in Schaumburg 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 Schaumburg — 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 Schaumburg 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 Schaumburg 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.