Southbury-based Athletic Counselor Gabrielle Belenchia visited Nonnewaug High School to speak to students about her career in the field of Sports Psychology.

Belenchia is a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate (LPC-A) and Athletic Counselor from Southbury Counseling who provides mental performance and athletic counseling services to a variety of athletic teams in both the collegiate and high school settings. 

She stopped into Kyle Brennan’s UCONN ECE Contemporary Issues in Sports class to discuss the topic of mental health in sports. She worked with students on a team-building activity – building a pyramid of cups with rubber bands -- and spoke about valuable attributes for healthy teams and athletes like teamwork, communication, and trust. Belenchia’s visit to Brennan’s class coincided with a recent unit on sports and mental health.

As a bonus, the College and Career Counseling Department hosted Belenchia for a career panel for any other interested NHS students. Belenchia works with teams and individuals in both the high school and collegiate DI, DII, and DIII levels. She gave students an overview of the career path and the undergraduate and graduate education and certifications needed to become a licensed sports psychologist/athletic counselor. Sports Psychology/Athletic Counseling is a fast-growing industry that recognizes the importance of mental health, psychology, and how the mind affects an athlete's performance and well-being.