Responsibility & visibility · Individual therapy · Chicago
Therapy for athletes in Chicago
Training and competition can organize much of your life. Injury, a change in role, or the end of a season may raise questions about identity and worth that are not answered by working harder.
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What you may be noticing
- Difficulty coping with setbacks
- Self-worth tied to results
- Feeling unsure during time away from competition
Your experience may look different. These examples are starting points for a conversation.
How we can work on this
We can explore the emotional meaning of achievement, change, and recovery. This is a place to consider your whole life and the demands you place on yourself.
I am Sam Rustum, LCPC. My work is collaborative: we will discuss your priorities, choose a starting point, and check whether our approach is useful to you.
When your usual way of measuring progress changes
Time away from competition can unsettle more than a schedule. You may miss routine, connection, or a clear way to feel that you are progressing. An injury, changed role, or disappointing result can bring questions about who you are when you cannot respond by training harder.
We can look at a particular moment: watching teammates compete, receiving feedback, or deciding what to do on a rest day. What does the situation bring up? What are you expecting of yourself? How do you react when your body or circumstances do not match that expectation?
Our work may involve examining self-criticism, finding words for disappointment, or communicating needs to people around you. We can also discuss relationships and sources of meaning that have received less attention. You can care about your sport while exploring what else you want in your life. Any practical step we choose would concern your emotional responses and daily choices; training and rehabilitation decisions remain with the professionals responsible for those areas.
Questions you may be asking
Do I need to compete professionally?
No. We can discuss how sport affects your identity, emotions, and relationships at different levels of participation. Your reasons for seeking therapy matter more than a particular level of achievement.
Can I talk about feeling lost during an injury?
Yes. We can explore changes in routine, uncertainty, frustration, and identity during time away. The focus is your mental health alongside the medical and rehabilitation care you receive.
What if I am considering retiring or changing sports?
We can make room for grief, relief, uncertainty, and competing priorities around that transition. You can examine what the change means without needing to have a decision ready before we begin.
A place to begin
Let’s make room for what you need.
A free 15-minute consultation gives us a chance to talk about what is difficult, answer your questions, and consider whether working together fits what you need.