What is a “Psyching Team”? It is a team of psychology professionals who offer quick, positive times on how to be mentally prepared to run your best race. In 2013, Dr. Chelsi Day started the Psyching Team for the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon. The team of psychologists has a booth at the 2-day expo, as well as psychologists on the race route who help runners stay mentally upbeat throughout the race.
This year, over 800 individuals stopped by the expo booth to learn more about the program and to pick up tips on how to run the best race psychologically. Runners at this years’ Columbus Marathon and Half-Marathon that stopped by the Psyching Team booth at the expo wore a piece of finish line ribbon that is given out by Psyching Team members. This ribbon provided athletes with a concrete reminder of the "psyching" strategy they learned.
This is an excellent opportunity for psychologists who are interested in positive psychology and maximizing performance to help others! Commonly-used performance strategies include mental rehearsal, arousal control, relaxation strategies, positive self-talk, and appropriate goal setting. Psyching Team members trained in these methods will tailor the technique to the particular person.
Interested in helping out with a Psyching Team or learning more? Dr. Day has created a YouTube video to assist with training Psyching Team members, and is happy to answer questions. For more information, please visit their website at http://www.psychingteams.com/. Psyching Teams in Ohio are currently in Columbus and Toledo.
From Left to Right: Chelsi Day, Psy.D, HSPP, Director, Counseling and Psychological Services, Indiana University Kokomo, IN and Jacqueline Lewis-Lyons, Psy.D., Private Practice, Columbus, OH. Feel free to contact Dr. Day at daychelsi@gmail.com or Dr. Lewis-Lyons at jacqui@drlewislyons.com
