Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor | Certified Mental Performance Consultant

ALEXANDRA WULBECKER-SMITH

M.A., M.Ed., LPCC, CMPC
  • Mental Health & Performance for Athletes
  • Youth, Collegiate, Elite & Olympic Athletes
  • Confidence, Resilience & Performance Under Pressure
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Alexandra Wulbecker-Smith, licensed professional clinical counselor at Premier Sport Psychology

WHO ALEX WORKS WITH

Alexandra Wulbecker-Smith is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and Certified Mental Performance Consultant who works at the intersection of mental health and performance. She helps athletes navigate the demands of sport while also supporting the person behind the athlete—recognizing that confidence, performance, relationships, identity, mental health, and overall well-being are often deeply connected.

Sport can be incredibly rewarding, and incredibly demanding. Alex helps athletes navigate both.

Alex believes athletes should not have to choose between taking care of their mental health and pursuing high performance. Her approach combines clinical counseling with practical mental performance strategies to help athletes understand themselves, navigate challenges, and perform with greater confidence and consistency.

She works with:

  • Youth and adolescent athletes navigating the pressures of sport, school, family, and development
  • High school and collegiate athletes managing performance pressure, confidence, injury, transitions, and the demands of competitive sport
  • Elite and Olympic athletes navigating the unique psychological demands of high-performance environments
  • Athletes experiencing anxiety, depression, burnout, or other mental health concerns
  • Athletes working through injury, setbacks, transitions, or retirement from sport

AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST & EXPERTISE

MENTAL HEALTH & WELL-BEING

Supporting athletes through anxiety, depression, stress, burnout, adjustment, identity, relationships, and other mental health challenges—while recognizing the unique role sport can play in an athlete's life.

PERFORMANCE CONFIDENCE

Helping athletes develop a healthier, more consistent relationship with confidence, mistakes, pressure, and performance outcomes.

MENTAL PERFORMANCE

Building practical skills for focus, emotional regulation, composure, confidence, resilience, goal-setting, and performing effectively under pressure.

INJURY, TRANSITION & IDENTITY

Helping athletes navigate injury, changes in competitive level, college transitions, deselection, retirement, and the question of “Who am I beyond my sport?”

CERTIFICATIONS

Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Minnesota BBHT
Certified Mental Performance Consultant
U.S. Center for SafeSport Certified

EDUCATION

M.A. in Counseling: Sport and Health – Adler University, Chicago
M.Ed. in Sport and Exercise Psychology – Northern Illinois University
Certificate in Sports Management – Northern Illinois University
B.S. in Health and Human Services – Northern Illinois University

APPROACH TO MENTAL HEALTH & PERFORMANCE

Alex believes that athletes are people first and performers second. While sport can be an incredibly meaningful and rewarding part of someone’s life, it can also bring pressure, uncertainty, injury, setbacks, identity challenges, and expectations that can affect an athlete’s mental health and overall well-being.

Her approach is collaborative, practical, and individualized. Alex works with each athlete to understand what is happening both on and off the field, identify the factors influencing their experience, and develop strategies that fit their personality, goals, and environment.

Depending on the athlete’s needs, this may include clinical counseling, mental skills training, or a combination of both. Alex’s goal is not simply to help athletes perform better—it is to help them develop the skills and self-understanding to navigate sport and life with greater confidence, resilience, and perspective.

EXPERIENCE & PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

Alex currently works with the USA Hockey Women’s and PWHL Minnesota Frost as a mental health therapist and mental performance coach, supporting athletes within high-performance environments as they navigate both the demands of elite competition and the broader challenges that come with being a high-level athlete.

Previously, Alex served as Premier’s Director of Youth Sport & Outreach, where she developed and facilitated mental health and mental performance programming for athletes, coaches, parents, and teams. She also worked as the sole Athletic Counselor at a Division I university in Chicago, overseeing mental health and sport performance services for 15 men’s and women’s teams through individual counseling, team workshops, and consultation.

Alex’s own experience as an athlete has significantly shaped her approach to this work. A three-sport high school athlete, she competed in volleyball, basketball, and softball before continuing her softball career at the Division I level at Northern Illinois University. A career-ending injury during college shifted her professional path and sparked her interest in helping athletes navigate the psychological side of sport.

She later pursued graduate training in sport and exercise psychology and counseling, while continuing to work directly with athletes as a high school coach, travel softball coach, and private hitting and fielding instructor.

That combination of clinical training, sport psychology education, coaching experience, and lived experience as an athlete allows Alex to understand sport from multiple perspectives—and to meet athletes where they are.

BEYOND THE ATHLETE

Alex’s passion for this work comes from understanding how much sport can shape a person’s life—and how important it is that athletes have support navigating both the highs and the difficult moments.

Outside of work, you’ll often find Alex with a coffee in hand while chasing around her two kids, Bode and Peyton, at parks and playdates. She enjoys attending sporting events with her husband and spending time with her dog, Penny.

REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT

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READY TO WORK WITH ALEX?

If you're looking to:

  • Build confidence without tying your worth to performance
  • Manage anxiety, pressure, or stress
  • Improve focus, composure, and consistency
  • Work through injury, setbacks, or transitions

More of the team

Connect with our intake team to determine the best provider fit

Founder, Senior Principal Sport Psychologist

Founder & CEO | Senior Principal Sport Psychologist

Vice President of Clinical Services, Principal Sport Psychologist

Principal Sport Psychologist

Vice President of Consulting Services, Principal Sport Psychologist

Athletic Counselor

Principal Sport Psychologist

Practicum Student

Postdoctoral Resident

Associate Athletic Counselor

Sport Psychologist

Marketing Specialist

Postdoctoral Resident

Mental Performance Consultant

Athletic Counselor

Associate Mental Performance Consultant

Athletic Counselor

Athletic Counselor, Research Project Specialist, Outreach Content Specialist

Associate Mental Performance Consultant

Mental Performance Consultant - Specializing in Hockey

Executive Director of Client Relations

Director of Finance & Operations

Product Manager, Research and Development Consultant

Office Coordinator

Associate Mental Performance Consultant

Associate Mental Performance Consultant

Associate Mental Skills Consultant, Intake Specialist

HR Consultant and Leadership Development

Associate Mental Performance Consultant