How to Build Credibility as a Mental Game Coach
Proven strategies to win more clients and get hired by athletes and teams
From the Desk of Dr. Patrick Cohn, Master Mental Game Coach
Dear Fellow Mental Coach,
Whether you just started your mental coaching career or you’ve been at it for years, one thing determines how many athletes hire you: credibility. Athletes and coaches work with people they trust. The more credible you appear in their eyes, the more clients you land.
I spent over 40 years as a mental game coach learning this the hard way. You don’t have to.
My Start Was Harder Than You’d Expect
About 35 years ago, I finished my graduate training in sports psychology at the University of Virginia. UVA prepared me to teach sports psychology at the university level — and for two years, I did exactly that as an assistant professor.
But my passion was working directly with athletes on mental toughness. In 1994, I left teaching to build a full-time mental coaching practice. Within weeks, I ran into a wall.
Nobody Teaches You the Business Side
I had trained alongside Ken Ravizza and Bob Rotella. I knew sports psychology strategies cold. But running a mental coaching business? I had no idea. Mental coaching jobs didn’t exist in the early 1990s. I had to create my own path, and I fumbled through it for years.
The questions that kept me up at night:
- Do I specialize in one sport, or work across multiple?
- Should I offer free sessions to build a client base?
- How do coaches and athletes find out I exist?
- Who should I contact to get hired by teams?
- Will athletes see me as credible enough to pay for my help?
I burned money on seminars that led nowhere. My first website attracted no traffic. I questioned whether I’d made a career mistake. But I kept working with the athletes I had, and I stayed focused on figuring it out.
What Actually Kills Credibility for Mental Coaches
After 25-plus years, I can tell you the barriers that stop most mental coaches before they get started:
- No track record working with athletes as a mental coach
- No endorsements from recognized athletes or coaches
- Other practitioners appear more qualified on paper
- No reputation in the sport communities you want to serve
- No credentials (Ph.D., AASP certification, or equivalent)
- No sport-specific knowledge to speak the athlete’s language
- Weak communication skills in a coaching context
First Steps to Improving Your Credibility as a Mental Coach
How Bob Rotella and Ken Ravizza Got to the Top
After 28 years of trial, error, and hard-won lessons, I understand what separates the mental coaches athletes seek out from those who can’t fill a client roster. Rotella built his reputation with golfers. Ravizza spent decades working with pro baseball teams. Both used one critical strategy to climb to the top of credibility in their field — and it had nothing to do with advertising.
Today, I teach that strategy — along with the systems I built over 25 years — to other mental game coaches through my Mental Game Coaching Professional system.
“Improving Credibility: How to Obtain More Clients As a Mental Game Coach”
A 40-page manual for mental coaches who want to win more clients and get hired by athletes and teams
Digital Download — instant access, no shipping costs
$299.00 — or call 888-742-7225 to order
What You Learn in This Manual
This 40-page guide covers the practical, concrete steps I took to build credibility as a mental game coach — including the one tactic that matters most.
- How to organize your business documents — coaching agreements, athlete intake forms, and program materials that make you look professional from the first contact
- How to define your role as a mental coach so athletes, parents, and coaches know exactly what you do and why it helps
- Why credibility is the foundation of a mental coaching business — and the specific barriers that block most coaches from growing
- The tactics I used to build my own credibility over 25 years — including the one must-have strategy you cannot skip
- How to gather and use social proof from athletes and coaches to strengthen your reputation
Five Bonus Documents Included (Valued at $200)
To make the system immediately usable, I included five ready-to-adapt documents from my own practice:
1. Athlete Intake Forms — the forms I send athletes before the first session. Adapt them to fit your practice. (Note: I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice.)
2. Mental Coaching Program Overview — the program description I send to parents, athletes, and coaches who ask about one-on-one coaching.
3. “Overcoming Myths in Sports Psychology” eBook — helps athletes, parents, and coaches understand what mental coaching is. Comes with a branded title page template (Word and Pages formats) so you can add your own logo.
4. “What Is Mental Game Coaching?” Brochure — a clear, readable handout that explains sports psychology and how it benefits athletes. Editable title page included in Word and Pages formats.
5. “Can You Benefit From Mental Coaching?” Assessment — a one-page worksheet that helps potential clients identify the mental game gaps holding them back.
This Program Is Right for You If You Are:
- A full-time or part-time mental game coach or sports psychologist who wants to attract more clients and grow your practice
- A psychologist or therapist already working with athletes who wants to expand into dedicated mental performance work
- A life coach or sport coach who works with athletes and wants to deepen your credibility in the mental performance space
- A sports psychology student building an entrepreneurial career path alongside your academic training
What Other Mental Coaches Say
“A framework and step-by-step method”
“I’ve been involved in coaching for over 30 years and included mental skills to help close the gap between potential and performance. Dr. Cohn fully shares his knowledge and extensive library of audio, visual, and printed materials. What I found most valuable is that this program provided a framework and step-by-step method of evaluation and implementation of the sound principles that he teaches — all of which are research-based, accepted, and on the cutting edge of sport psychology.”
— Jim Bonfiglio, M.Ed., Certified MGCP, Oklahoma City, OK
“Helped me become a better coach”
“I just wanted to thank you for sharing so many of your ideas. Last week you sent me a handout about compiling a game plan for a practice round. I used it with one of my junior golfers, and today he won his first tournament of the year. I am not writing because he won — I’m writing because your material made me better prepared to teach the mental skills of golf.”
— Chuck Yaeger, MGCP
“A great framework for workshops and individual sessions”
“I am pleased with the Athlete’s Mental Edge workbooks — they fit well with my coaching. They offer a great framework for workshop sessions and work equally well with individual athletes, including younger ones aged 12 and under.”
— Kerri Morgan, Mental Game Coach
“An incredible model for mental training”
“I am impressed with Dr. Cohn’s willingness to share all of his assets — intellectual, products, and more — with MGCP students. You have developed an incredible model for mental training. Thank you for passing on a legacy built on your contribution to the world of sports.”
— Tony Melito, MGCP
Get Instant Access — $299.00
Digital Download — no shipping costs
Or call to order: 888-742-7225
Thanks for taking the time to read about “Improving Credibility.” Contact me with any questions about the program.
Your Master Mental Coach,
P.S. Purchase of this program qualifies for an upgrade to the MGCP Certification program. Learn about MGCP program options.
ORDER NOW — or call 1-888-742-7225.
Disclaimer
*Testimonials represent the experiences of individual clients. Results vary. No compensation was provided for these testimonials.
Last Updated on August 1, 2026