Christie Gialloreto, M.Sc.
As a Provisional Psychologist and Certified Canadian Counsellor, Christie has been a private practice consultant for over 10 years working with athletes of all ages. A Master of Science graduate in Athletic Counselling and Psychological Services from Springfield College (Massachusetts), she has consulted with individuals and teams in over 35 different sports ranging from recreational, developmental, high performance, international and Olympic levels.
Christie joined the Vauxhall Academy of Baseball in its inaugural year of 2006. She enjoys working with the highly knowledgeable coaching and support staff at the Academy as well as working with the unique individuals that make up the Jets team each year. “It has been a pleasure to work with the talent brought here from around Canada and to see the athletes find success in local and US colleges, National teams and of course the ultimate goal of being drafted is a reward we all share as part of this program.”
Psychological services the athletes in the VAB program receive are personal and performance based. Through team and individual sessions, players are taught mental skills such as team building gaining awareness of their perspectives, self talk, goal setting, focusing habits and use of relaxation and imagery techniques. Many baseball specific skills such as creating preparation routines for hitting, pitching and fielding as well as dealing with pressures of being a student-athlete are addressed. The idea is to prepare the athlete to be ready to study, practice and compete consistently and gain mental toughness and confidence a they grow into a successful player.
In addition to her baseball duties, Christie consults with the Vauxhall High School Women’s hockey team. Other contracts she’s enjoyed include teaching/ counselling at the National Sport School in Calgary, Alberta, as well as serving as a Sport Psychology Consultant with Team Alberta for the 2007 Canada Winter Games, 2005 Canada Summer Games and 2004 Arctic Winter Games.
A former competitive gymnast, Christie has also worked with sports in an organizational role with the American and International Hockey Leagues, the 1999 Pan American Games and the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games.
One lesson she has learned as a sport psychology consultant is that everyone has mental skills that can be used in a powerful productive way if they choose. It is very rewarding when you see an athlete develop those skills and increase their chances of successful experiences in sport and in life.
Recently, Christie relocated to Victoria, BC with her family and has continued consulting through the Canadian Sport Centre – Pacific. She is also an active volunteer with the Pacific Animal Therapy Society in her off time.
Please contact Christie by email at: cgheadcoach@shaw.ca
