Donna DeWitt, MA, BA.

Sport and performance psychologist

Villa Olímpica, Barcelona

Tel: +34 607636246

E-mail: donna@dewitt-pp.com

Web: www.dewitt-pp.com

Background and Experience

Donna DeWitt is a sport and performance psychologist who gained her affinity with the concept of performance during her time as a ballet student at the Ballet Academy in Amsterdam and later in the States and in Holland as a track athlete.

Originally Donna began studying psychology at Montana State University in the States and later continued to complete a master in clinical psychology at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. While studying in Amsterdam, Donna competed in track at a national level. At the same time she gained experience working with clients with various issues including trauma, substance abuse, criminal delinquency and psychiatric disturbances. During her graduate studies in Amsterdam, she specialized in the topic 'empathy and sex offenders'.

While concluding her clinical studies Donna went on to complete a certification in sport psychology at the Free University in the Netherlands. As a sport psychologist Donna worked in the Netherlands individually with athletes as well as trainers of all levels. She also worked with companies and their employees regarding issues such as burn-out, chronic pain, and performance enhancement.

In addition, Donna has provided workshops for athletes as well as their parents and coaches, and has given lessons in mental training to athletes in high schools that are designed especially for young talented athletes of competitive sports in Holland and in Spain. She specialized in attention and conducted an investigation into the attentional styles of approximately 300 soccer players from 16 professional soccer clubs in the Netherlands.

Professional Memberships

• Dutch Psychologists' Association (NIP - Nederlands Instituut voor Psychologen)
• Association of Sport Psychologists in the Netherlands (VSPN - Vereniging voor Sportpsychologie in Nederland)
• European Network of Young Specialists in Sport Psychology (ENYSSP)

Services Offered

Donna offers performance enhancement services to athletes/teams, coaches, artists of all kinds, students, companies, and anyone wanting to excel in a given area. Her approach is cognitive based and relies on the principles of sport psychology which focus on developing mental skills to optimize strengths and to neutralize negative interference and distraction.

Donna's personal approach utilizes and integrates the concepts dedication, purpose (goal-setting) and passion to help performers to become aware of their optimal performance state. This awareness facilitates:

• learning to focus more effectively
• managing anxiety and staying composed under pressure
• boosting confidence and motivation levels
• dealing with set-backs
• training and acquiring new skills
• reducing mental barriers

Donna also offers counseling or clinical services for individuals dealing with issues such as lowered levels of motivation or self-confidence, destructive health habits, chronic pain, and general anxiety.

Services are offered as individual one-hour sessions, group/team consultations, workshops or competition/performance observations.