Mental Performance Therapy
Dr.Vernice Richards
Meet Dr.V
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I'm Dr. Vernice Richards, a Mental Performance Therapist
specializing in Performance Psychology and the psychology of performance cultures.
I work with performers who want to strengthen the way they think, decide and perform under pressure.
Licensed
Mental Health
Counselor
Florida / New Hampshire
PhD
Sport & Performance Psychology
Yoga Therapy
Teacher
YTT Certified
International
Society of Sport
Psychology
Registry Member
Why I do this Work
My work in Mental Performance Therapy has grown from a longstanding interest in what happens psychologically when people are asked to perform under pressure. Across sport, business, the performing arts and other high-performance environments, I’ve seen that performance is rarely determined by ability alone. The way we interpret pressure, respond to uncertainty, manage expectations and relate to ourselves can significantly shape how we think, decide and perform.
As a Mental Performance Therapist, I bring together my background in clinical mental health with Performance Psychology and practical mental skills. This allows me to look at both the person and the performance, working with patterns such as overthinking, perfectionism, self-doubt and performance anxiety while considering the real-world demands of the environment in which they show up.
My work across different performance cultures has also shaped how I understand performance. Athletes, executives, entrepreneurs, performing artists and other high- performing professionals may face very different demands, but each environment develops its own expectations, strengths and blind spots. That perspective led to the development of The Hybrid Mindset, my framework for understanding those differences and intentionally integrating the strengths of different performance cultures while reducing their blind spots.
Ultimately, I’m interested in helping people become more psychologically equipped for the level at which they want to perform, developing the capacity to think clearly, regulate effectively, make decisions with greater confidence and access their abilities when they matter most.
What's it like to Shift with me.
LET ME DO THE OVERTHINKING
CHANGE
AWARENESS
METAPHORS & ANALOGIES
ACTIONABLE
ADVICE
PERSPECTIVE SHIFTS
I take the mental load off your shoulders so you can think more clearly.
We go beyond self-awareness to lasting insights
I use real-world examples that make complex things simple to grasp.
You'll leave with clear steps and strategies you can use right away.
I help you see things differently so you can choose differently.
My Approach
Performance isn't just shaped by talent. It's shaped by the way your mind responds under pressure.
My work combines Mental Performance Therapy, Performance Psychology and evidence-informed strategies to help performers change the patterns behind overthinking, self-doubt and inconsistency, so high performance becomes more repeatable.
Most performance work focuses on changing what you do (habits, behaviors, routines). My work also focuses on the way you think (the mental processes that shape your behaviors), so the changes you make become more effective and sustainable.