About The Process
For the love of the game!
The Process: Make Your Sport Fun Again
Somewhere between the backyard and the stadium or course, the joy of the game often gets replaced by the weight of expectation. THE PROCESS helps athletes reclaim their identity. By separating you from how you play, we extinguish the 'fear of the mistake.' This framework isn’t just for sport,it supports personal and professional stability.
What we do:
- Examine core beliefs that influence your performance
- Bring reality to your game with structured behavioral strategies
- Create a healthy blueprint to live your life, both on and off the field
- Rebuild a joyful, sustainable relationship with sport
- Improve focus, resilience, and overall well-being
Join us to transform your mindset, sharpen your game, and thrive in every aspect of life.
THE PROCESS
Performance is a byproduct of belief. THE PROCESS utilizes a structured approach for determining and eliminating a negative mental framework.
If we have a poor identity, we view ourselves as less than. We perceive ourselves as inferior, and our performance reflects that belief.
At THE PROCESS, we focus on being well-rounded and faith driven individuals, with a natural strength in sports. We focus on using our gifts in athleticism and growing our mind and body in a way that exemplifies greatness. We believe we were wonderfully made and will perform at our highest level.
Pitfalls of Athletes
Athletes often experience anxiety before a game or match. We address these specific issues and more:
- Fear of making a mistake
- Fear of how to handle a mistake
- Fear of failure
- Fear of being drafted or not making a team (e.g., D1)
- Fear of scrutiny from others watching their performance
- Learned helplessness when mistakes occur
- Common fears extend to relationships and personal expectations
- Fear of letting others down (coaches, teammates, fans)
- Fear of feeling inadequate
- Fear of disappointing family members
The Objective: Neutralize Fear, Maximize Performance
In elite sports, fear is the ultimate performance killer. Our mission is to replace high stakes anxiety with a mastery based method. By shifting your focus from the scoreboard to the 'how', we unlock a level of play that is both intuitive and impactful.
When you stop playing to survive, you start playing to dominate.
Steve Steen, MS-LPC
Founder & Performance Counselor
For over 35 years, I have lived at the intersection of elite athletics and psychological resilience. As a former varsity athlete at the Kent School and Lake Forest College, I understand the weight of the jersey. Today, as a Licensed Professional Counselor, I've dedicated my practice to helping athletes from high school prospects to professionals navigate the mental barriers that physical training alone cannot solve.
My approach is practical, structured, and grounded in the reality of the game. Whether leading a team to a USA Hockey National Championship bronze or guiding a family through the complexities of D1 recruiting, my mission remains the same: building athletes who are as mentally unshakeable as they are physically gifted.
Playing and Coaching History:
Varsity hockey, Kent School (2 years)
Honored as a New England Prep School All-Star Team
Varsity Hockey, Lake Forest College
Lettered all 4 years
Also competed on the Lake Forest Golf team after hockey season
Hockey Coaching:
Coached all levels from house leagues and AAA in the Dallas area and New Hampshire
Led the U16AA team to the USA Hockey National Championship, earning a bronze medal
Services
Individual Counseling/Coaching
Whether you are talking about mental toughness or elite-level performance strategy, individual counseling is about turning the process into a personalized engine for success. We aren't just looking at the big picture; we're dialing in the specific habits and thoughts that drive your daily output. Through 1:1 sessions, we identify the exact friction points in your routine and apply streamlined adjustments to sharpen your competitive edge.
Observation of Games
This is an opportunity for my staff and me to observe how you perform under pressure and manage stress, which is crucial for individual performance refinement. We will take notes and meet with the athlete to discuss strategies for peak optimization in managing stress and frustrations. Often, we can identify where performance declines due to negative feelings and self-defeating behaviors, highlighting the importance of clarity in execution.
Organizational meetings with staff and coaches
This is a unique opportunity for organizations with multiple teams to obtain direct feedback, address questions, and set performance-optimization goals to help athletes reach their full potential, while also streamlining mental execution.
Consult with personal coach or skills coach
Skill coaches and personal coaches are the backbone of most successful athletes. We are available to consult with your coaches to gain insight from their expertise, which can be instrumental in your mental performance refinement.