Sports Psychology

Dr. Dan has worked with World Championship Iron Man athletes, weightlifting world champions, CrossFit national champions, state champion gymnasts, NFL players and NFL hall of fame nominees, swimming olympic hopefuls, college athletes (div. I., II, & III), professional soccer players, professional basketball players, family members of NBA Hall of famers, and youth athletes in all sports, most recently in soccer, swimming, football, baseball, tennis, rowing, and basketball.  

If you have family members or friends in youth sports who could use support from a sports psychologist, contact Dr. Dan for more information. [612-501-5358]
 
I work with athletes on anxiety, trauma, performance anxiety, blocking, procrastination and motivation issues, depression, goal setting, overcoming sports injuries and returning to form, and a variety of other issues.  In recent years, I’ve worked with gymnasts, soccer players, basketball players, tennis players, and baseball players of all ages including young kids on up to high school, college, pro and olympic levels.  As an example of my focused work, I might work with an athlete on his/her performance anxiety; there are often two things that usually come up – (1) Anticipatory anxiety and (2) Self-efficacy – belief in one’s ability.  Working with a sports psychologist can help address this issue and many others.  
 
I implement a variety of techniques including breathing retraining, visualization & meditation, cognitive therapy, positive belief rehearsal, and various stress management techniques.    Please call me with questions about how I can help your team or your athlete achieve his/her goals and overcome personal challenges while building resilience.     
 
​

Here are a few nuggets about me:
​

• I love sports.  I have a basketball hoop in my family room.  My entire life has been connected with sports in one way or another.  I recently told my kids that the documentary Last Dance about Jordan and the Bulls summarizes my childhood having grown up in Chicago.       

• I’ve been a recreational coach for many years in soccer and basketball.  I will be positive and very supportive of your athlete’s coach.  Your kid’s relationship with his coach will be supported and never undermined by counseling conversations in my office. 

• My dream was to play college basketball.  My heart was broken when I was cut two years in a row at the University of St. Thomas, a division III powerhouse program at the time (now, Division I).  During the third week of tryouts in 1994, I was hospitalized with pneumonia.  My immune system was compromised due to significant performance anxiety.  I cried in the hospital bed when my Dad brought me the news that I didn’t make the team.  I know the experience of sports heartbreak.  I also know the experience of living with memories that can’t be undone.  Against a top team in my high school playoffs, I had a 10 second violation as point guard in the final minutes of our team losing a 5-point lead with two minutes left.  

• Part of my story is overcoming injury.  Personally, I have worked through plantar fasciitis, ankle injuries, herniated disc back injuries, and various pain.  As a college student athlete, part of my struggle was overcoming many ankle injuries.  There’s a lot of psychology and self-doubt that is an important part of the story of victory.  

• My recent parenting book You Are Your Child’s Best Psychologist: 7 Keys to Excellence in Parenting has been endorsed by national champion college basketball coach and national coach of the year John Tauer, Ph.D., who wrote the book Why Less is More for WOSPs: Well-Intentioned, Overinvolved Sports Parents – How to be the best SPORTS PARENT you can be.  Tauer is also a research leader in applying social psychology to sports psychology.  
• I've worked with professional and former professional athletes, weightlifting world champions, CrossFit national champions, olympic training athletes in swimming, high school and college athletes (div. I,II, & III), high school state champions, and youth athletes in soccer, swimming, football, baseball, tennis, rowing, basketball, and gymnastics.   

 
Call me at 612-501-5358.  Check out my website at www.danvaningen.com  
 
My mission is to help your student athlete be his or her best!  Learn, grow, overcome, build resilience, have fun, loosen up, and all of the things that your student athlete needs.