By Leah Shin, B.A.
Supporting Female Athletes Through Sports Psychology: A Conversation with Rakyung Park
At Restoration Psychology, we are always inspired by the ways psychology connects people’s lives in meaningful and transformative ways. Our very own testing intern, Rakyung Park, recently shared her insights on the importance of sports psychology—especially when it comes to supporting female athletes.
What is Sports Psychology?
Rakyung describes sports psychology as a field that looks beyond physical training and focuses on the mental side of performance:
"Sports Psychology is a specialty in the field of Psychology. We study and practice psychological theories to help athletes reach their full potential, develop healthy relationship[s] with sports, and ultimately enjoy the sports more. We focus on mental performance skills, which means that if athlete comes in with performance anxiety, or they have a meltdown right before the competition, or… they feel burnt out. So we try to develop performance skills to navigate those situations and also in a lot of settings, the practice of sports psychology also includes addressing mental health struggles or difficulties. It could be like having conflict with coaches or having conflict with partner or spouse, or even it could be having hard time balancing academics and sports. And these daily stressors can influence negatively on their performance, so by addressing them, we try to help athletes execute at peak performance.”
Supporting Female Athletes
One area Rakyung is particularly passionate about is helping female athletes navigate the unique pressures they often face.
"The DU sports psych program offers general mental health services and also performance skill consultation to student athletes. Since this is about girls in the game, I want to share how I’ve helped female athletes. I’ve observed that societal expectations and pressures often place heavier burdens on female athletes. Because sports have historically been male-dominated, many female athletes feel the need to constantly prove themselves and their abilities. This pressure can change their relationship with sports—they may feel increased stress, burnout, and decreased enjoyment. I’ve worked with many athletes facing these issues, and we focus on developing performance skills and addressing mental health struggles so they can thrive both in their sport and in life.”
Why It Matters
Sports psychology is more than just mental preparation before a competition—it’s about supporting the whole athlete. For female athletes in particular, the work Rakyung describes helps them reclaim joy in their sport, manage external pressures, and perform at their best. If you're looking for support as an athlete, we'd love to connect you with Rakyung. Restoration Psychology is conveniently located in Centennial, and we have immediate availability starting today! Call us at (720)-647-1522 or email info@restorationpsychology.com.
Click the link below to watch the full conversation!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAR0pVd2JRI