Mental Health and Sports

Show Notes:

Dr. Miguel Franco 904-376-3800 [email protected]

 Mick Franco, PhD, a bilingual licensed psychologist and a former sports psychologist for eight college national championship teams, enjoys working with adolescents and adults struggling with life challenges that compromise their ability to be at their best. Dr. Franco is highly invested in enhancing the self-esteem of his patients. His areas of expertise include:

·         Athletic performance enhancement

·         Psychological treatment of adolescents

·         Cultural diversity training

·         Marriage and family therapy

·         Supervision of doctoral candidates in psychology

·         Trauma recovery

·         Sexual assault prevention among college students, particularly, student-athletes

·         Existential therapy

I’m an avid sports fan who played three years of college football and spent the past 20 years as a sports psychologist at the University of Notre Dame. I’m excited to be back in the Florida where I earned my doctorate degree. My wife, an electrical engineer, and I have three children, two of whom are psychologists.

I enjoy assisting my patients in embracing the notion that we all want the same thing – to love and be loved in return. There is no greater joy for me as a psychologist than to experience the transformation in my patients as they grow and develop their self-esteem. When self-esteem is compromised, how love is expressed and received will also be compromised.

I maintain a strong commitment to the process of celebrating the diversity that surrounds us. The process necessary to truly celebrate diversity starts with cultural humility. I am currently doing what I can to get the word out on in the Jacksonville

 Francesca M. Varallo Sims, Psy.D. | Director of Education and Training

Behavioral Health | 841 Prudential Drive, Suite 1350 | Jacksonville, Florida 32207

904.202.4949 (office) | 904.250.0854 (cell) | [email protected]  

 Helpful Strategies: Encourage to talk, listen, allow for open dialogue, make it ok to bring it up, focus on understanding not getting your point across

Notable behaviors: Irritability, Inability to sleep, eating disorders, low energy, fatigue, excessive sleeping, and personality changes, etc.

#On Our Sleeves is available through Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital 

https://www.wolfsonchildrens.com/about/on-our-sleeves-mental-health

  |  |  | The Winter Olympics are about to begin,
 
Watching elite athletes represent their countries as they strive to win medals is fun for adults and children alike. It’s also an excellent opportunity to have conversations about hard work and how to handle intense pressure that comes from both internal and external sources.
 
 When we start these discussions early, it helps children develop the lifelong skills they need to manage emotional reactions when stressed. Kids that effectively cope with challenges are more likely to enjoy the moment and focus on doing their best rather than shooting for perfection. 

 |  |  | Helping kids cope with pressure
 
Part of Olympian training includes handling the intense pressure of being in the spotlight while simultaneously showing incredible athleticism. These competitors are not alone in feeling the heat of performance pressure; sometimes children experience this, too