Sports Psychology
Athletes face a level of pressure that most therapists never fully understand- the split-second decisions, the public scrutiny of every performance, the identity that gets wrapped up in a stat line or a scoreboard. I’ve spent my career inside that world, first as an athlete myself, and later as a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University supporting D1 athletes across 15+ men’s and women’s teams.
My approach to sports psychology goes beyond “mental toughness” clichés. We work on performance anxiety, injury recovery and identity loss, transitions out of competitive sport, team dynamics, and the everyday stress of balancing athletics with the rest of life. Whether you’re a professional athlete, a college competitor, or a coach trying to support your team’s mental game, sessions are tailored to where you actually are- not a generic playbook.
I also bring a perspective a lot of sports psychologists don’t: as an openly queer therapist and former APA Division 44 president, I understand the added layer athletes from marginalized identities carry into competitive spaces, and I build that into how I support every client, not just LGBTQ+ athletes specifically.
LGBTQ+ Affirming Therapy
Affirming care means never having to explain or justify who you are before you can actually start doing the work of therapy. As an openly queer psychologist and the 2024–2025 President of APA Division 44 (The Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation & Gender Diversity), identity-affirming care isn’t an add-on to my practice; it’s central to it.
I work with LGBTQ+ individuals navigating coming out, family and relationship dynamics, discrimination and minority stress, gender exploration, and the ordinary struggles everyone brings to therapy- anxiety, depression, relationship concerns, life transitions through a lens that never asks you to shrink or explain yourself. I have particular experience and passion for working with bisexual, non-binary, and transgender clients.
For LGBTQ+ athletes specifically, this specialty overlaps directly with my sports psychology work supporting clients who are navigating both their athletic identity and their LGBTQ+ identity at the same time, without having to compartmentalize either one.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
DBT gives you concrete, practical skills for the moments when emotions feel bigger than you can handle; whether that’s a panic spiral before a big competition, a conflict with a partner, or the kind of emotional overwhelm that shows up regardless of what’s causing it. I integrate DBT skills (mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness) into both individual therapy and dedicated DBT skills groups.
Contrary to popular belief, DBT isn’t just for crisis moments. Athletes can use these skills to manage performance pressure and in-game emotional regulation. LGBTQ+ clients use them to navigate minority stress and difficult family dynamics. In general, all clients coming to therapy can use them simply to build a more stable and more sustainable relationship with their own emotions.
If you’re looking for therapy that gives you tools to use between sessions, DBT may be a strong fit alongside, or instead of, more traditional talk therapy.
Stay In Touch!
Though these are Dr. McCabe’s main areas of specialty, they are by no means an exhaustive list of topics that can be covered in our therapy. Please reach out if you think I am a good fit for your needs and/or you have any questions about getting started together. Either way, I wish you luck on your healing journey!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can therapy address both athletic performance and LGBTQ+ identity at the same time?
es- this is actually one of the more common overlaps I see in my practice. Many LGBTQ+ athletes benefit from therapy that treats these as connected parts of their experience rather than separate issues to address in isolation.
Do I need to choose one specialty, or can sessions cover more than one area?
You don’t need to pick a lane. Most clients’ concerns naturally touch on more than one of these areas, and sessions are built around your actual needs rather than a rigid single-topic framework.
Is DBT only used for crisis situations, or can it help with everyday stress too?
DBT skills are genuinely useful for everyday emotional regulation, not just crisis moments — many clients use them for performance pressure, relationship stress, and general anxiety management.
Which specialty should I start with if I'm not sure what I need?
That’s exactly what the first session is for. I’ll help you figure out where to focus based on what’s bringing you into therapy, not the other way around.
Do you offer these specialties online, in-person, or both?
Individual and group sessions are available online throughout New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and 40+ additional PsyPact states, with select in-person groups offered in Center City, Philadelphia.
