One young athlete is struggling with guilt after a tough loss. Another is battling anxiety and losing focus mid-game. A third is overwhelmed — juggling algebra homework, learning to play a new position, and preparing to travel for a major away match.

“Helping athletes and their coaches succeed is the most fulfilling aspect of my role as a mental performance coach,” said Adler University alum Felix Yu, MA’18. “Their psychological and mental health needs are all unique, even if we’re all wearing the same team badge.”

That badge is the blue and red logo of the Chicago Fire Football Club and its youth soccer program, the Chicago Fire Academy. Yu has spent the past seven years there in various roles — he now serves as a dedicated mental performance coach.

“Often times people watch a sporting event and only think about the game and maybe the physical training these athletes go through,” said Yu. “But there’s so much more work that goes behind the scenes, especially above the shoulders.”

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, challenges facing young athletes can include a sense of unhealthy perfectionism, associating winning with self-worth, and stress and anxiety that can ultimately lead to burnout.

To ensure the youth athletes at the Academy remain mentally healthy, Yu engages them in a variety of activities, including writing reflections and journaling, goal setting, maintaining their daily routines, and having one-on-one conversations about challenges on and off the field.

“The goal is to make sure these athletes, along with their coaches, perform at their best abilities,” he said. “Mental strength is just as important, if not more important, in sport performance.”

Felix Yu and his cohort, including Program Director Teresa Fletcher, celebrate the Chicago Cubs’ long-awaited World Series Championship in 2016.

Building connections at Adler

Yu’s journey into sports psychology and human performance began in 2015 when he left his hometown of Brisbane, Australia, for Chicago to pursue the Master of Science in Sport and Human Performance program, then-called Master of Arts in Counseling: Sport and Health Psychology.

“At the time, Adler really stood out to me because it offers a dual experience of doing clinical work and applied work,” he said. “And the rest is history.”

Already a fan of both Australian and American sports, Yu’s interest in pursuing a career in sport psychology was piqued during his final semester of his Bachelor of Psychological Science program at the University of Queensland in Brisbane.

“The field of sports psychology was still relatively in its infancy, compared to other fields like medicine or physical therapy. I just found it interesting to dip my toes into this field that’s still new,” he said. “And I had an American professor who encouraged me to research sports psychology programs in the States.”

At Adler, the master’s program was also new. When Yu arrived, he joined the first cohort taught by Program Director Teresa Fletcher, Ph.D.

The Master of Science in Sport and Human Performance provides students with a comprehensive foundation in theories and methods of performance enhancement. The program promotes the best practices within the field of sport psychology and offers specialized courses and externship opportunities.

Out of the classrooms, Yu said he really got to know and see a different side of his classmates. They were a tight-knit group who would attend Super Bowl watch parties and ice skate at the nearby Maggie Daley Park Ice Skating Ribbon. Yu said he still stays in touch with many of his former classmates, along with his mentors, Dr. Fletcher and professor Terilyn Shigeno, Ph.D.

“Those years at Adler were very formative for many of us, and it’s continued to inform my life and work at the Academy,” Yu said.

Beyond the coursework, Yu said his experience at Adler taught him how to make sure he’s taking care of himself.

“As a student, I had to learn how to self-care in the process,” he said. “That has come in very handy in my role at the Academy, where there can be very long days.”

The sport psychology program at Adler was also very interactive, which Yu said helped him learn how to better communicate and connect with his classmates.

“That social skill is essential in my work today, especially when I’m trying to connect with young athletes,” he said.

Ready for the real world

As part of the sport and human performance program at Adler, students are required to conduct an externship. Yu snagged one with the Chicago Fire Academy in his second year, and he hasn’t left since.

“The externship, which helped me gain real-world experiences, has led me to where I am today,” Yu said.

For Yu, his day typically starts at 8 a.m. with a morning full of meetings with players, staff, and sometimes calls with parents of athletes to share resources and insights. Many of the young athletes are attending classes online at the Academy.

In the afternoon, Yu attends their training sessions, an opportunity for him to talk to the athletes on a variety of things, such as a new skill they’re working on or a goal they’ve set for themselves. After the training sessions, his time is dedicated to documenting notes and processes and planning his work for the next day.

“That could last until 5:30 or 6 p.m.” he said. “My days are pretty routine, though things can change. Sometimes teams are traveling, so I don’t have any training sessions to attend.”

There are also some days when Yu would travel with the team, such as an upcoming 10-day trip to Florida for a tournament.

“Working at the Chicago Fire Academy has been amazing opportunity,” Yu said. “Trainers and performance coaches make sure our athletes are physically healthy, strong, and improve their skills, but I know I also play a vital part in helping our athletes realize their potential.”