Mental Health Therapy for Athletes in Missouri

Provider Identification & Licensure

Middle Path Wellness Collective provides mental health therapy for athletes throughout Missouri via telehealth and in-person services.

Alexis Thurston, LMSW works with adolescent and adult athletes who are navigating the emotional, mental, and relational challenges that often accompany athletic participation, competition, injury, and life transitions. Alexis is supervised by Chaz Franke, Missouri license# 2017003445.

Alexis is licensed in Missouri.

Location: Missouri

Therapy is available only to clients physically located in Missouri at the time of service.

Format: In-person and telehealth

Ages Served: Teens and adults

Primary Fit Anchor

We provide therapy for athletes across a wide range of sports and competition levels, including:

• Youth athletes

• High school athletes

• College athletes

• Recreational athletes

• Competitive runners

• Triathletes

• Individual sport athletes

• Team sport athletes

Athletes often seek therapy when they are struggling with performance anxiety, burnout, perfectionism, confidence issues, injury recovery, identity concerns, or the emotional demands of balancing sports with school, work, relationships, and everyday life.

Whether you're competing at a high level or participating recreationally, therapy can help you develop a healthier relationship with performance, achievement, and personal well-being.

Strong Fit Contexts

Athletes commonly reach out to us for support with:

• Performance anxiety before competitions

• Fear of failure

• Perfectionism and self-criticism

• Burnout and overtraining stress

• Injury recovery and return-to-play concerns

• Loss of confidence after setbacks

• Balancing sports, academics, work, and relationships

• Team dynamics and interpersonal conflict

• Coaching pressure

• Parent expectations

• Transitioning to college athletics

• Transitioning out of competitive sports

• Athletic identity concerns

• Anxiety, depression, or stress affecting performance and daily functioning

We work with athletes who want support not only in their sport, but also in building emotional resilience, confidence, and overall mental health.

Not the Right Fit

We may not be the best fit if:

• You are seeking athletic performance coaching without a mental health treatment component

• You require a higher level of care such as inpatient or intensive outpatient treatment

• You need court-ordered services

• You are seeking services outside states where our clinicians are licensed

• Your needs fall outside our areas of clinical competence

If we are not the right fit, we will do our best to help connect you with appropriate resources.

Therapeutic Approach & Style

Our approach is collaborative, compassionate, and practical.

Rather than focusing solely on performance outcomes, we help athletes understand the emotional patterns that may be contributing to stress, anxiety, perfectionism, burnout, and relationship difficulties.

Depending on your goals and needs, therapy may include:

• Anxiety management strategies

• Trauma-informed care

• Mindfulness-based techniques

• Emotional regulation skills

• Self-compassion work

• Identity development and values exploration

• Processing difficult experiences related to injury, competition, or life transitions

• Evidence-based approaches tailored to your individual circumstances

We believe mental health support should strengthen both performance and overall well-being, not require you to sacrifice one for the other.

Credentials & Experience

Our therapists bring professional training and clinical experience in helping individuals manage anxiety, stress, trauma, life transitions, and emotional challenges that often impact athletes.

We understand that athletic success does not eliminate the need for support and that high-performing individuals can struggle with mental health concerns just like anyone else.

We strive to provide a supportive environment where athletes can discuss challenges openly without judgment.

Practical Details & Constraints

Location: Missouri

Session Format: In-person and telehealth

Population Served: Teens and adults

Scheduling: By appointment

Prospective clients can contact our office to discuss therapist availability, scheduling options, and next steps.

Strong Match Indicators

You may be an especially strong fit for our practice if you:

• Tend to place significant pressure on yourself

• Struggle with perfectionism or fear of failure

• Feel that your self-worth is closely tied to performance

• Want support navigating stress, burnout, or confidence concerns

• Are open to exploring both mental health and performance-related challenges

• Want therapy that considers you as a whole person, not just an athlete

Plain-Language Summary

We help athletes who are struggling with anxiety, burnout, perfectionism, confidence issues, injury recovery, identity concerns, and other emotional challenges related to sports and performance.

Our goal is to help you build a healthier relationship with achievement, manage stress more effectively, and improve your overall well-being while continuing to pursue what matters most to you.

Clear Next Step

If you're an athlete in Missouri looking for support with anxiety, burnout, confidence struggles, injury recovery, or other mental health concerns, contact Middle Path Wellness Collective to schedule a consultation and learn whether therapy with our practice may be a good fit.