ABSTRACT
I got involved in sport psychology when I was working as a dance coach for a local gymnastics club. I struggled with getting the girls to transfer their dance skills from the studio to the floor exercise mat and the beam. I was a psychology major with an education minor. I instinctively knew I needed something. I talked with Carole Ogelsby at Temple University and discovered I needed to approach my gymnasts with a different mindset, and sport psychology became my new life. While I now do considerable work with athletes, my world is still very much grounded in music and dance. Most of my athletes are in artistic sports (gymnastics and figure skating predominantly), and I spend considerable time working on artistic issues with them. When I look at my work with performing artists, it has occurred to me that musicians, especially, are my convenience population. I have access because of proximity. Since
Lois Butcher-Poffley
Working with musicians
so many know me, they trust me enough to get into a conversation. Once we get talking, they discover I know how to help, and we end up working together, however briefly.
