Sessions open · online + IRL on requestSessions open · Online + in-person on request
Your mindis part ofthe game.
Hi, I’m Kelley — a sport psychologist & psychotherapist, and a national-level hockey player myself. I help athletes, students and professionals handle pressure, quiet the overthinking and feel like themselves again.
- MSc · Leeds Beckett, UK
- MA · St. Xavier’s, Mumbai
- Khelo India medallist
Kelley John (she/her)
M.Sc., M.A. · Sport Psychologist & Psychotherapist
psst — the stickers move ✌︎
Player profile · Hockey 🏑#01Kelley John
she/her
Sport Psychologist · Psychotherapist
- yrs exp
- 3+
- yrs exp
- psych degrees
- 3
- psych degrees
- Khelo India medal
- 2020
- Khelo India medal
About
I’m a Sport Psychologist and Counselling Psychologist with 3+ years of experience working with athletes and professionals — on performance, mood, anxiety, stress, career and a lot more.
I’m also a field hockey player — Khelo India Youth Games medallist, Junior and Senior Hockey India Nationals, a season as a professional athlete with the Sports Authority of India, and Leeds Beckett’s Women’s 1s during my MSc. So I know pressure from the inside: the selections, the setbacks, the noise in your head before you step out.
My research was on the inside of the game too — how Indian student-athletes cope, and how sports coaches ruminate. My work is about helping you understand yourself more deeply, and reach the goals that actually matter to you.
- Queer-affirmative
- Trauma-informed
- Neurodiversity-informed
- Child-safeguarding certified
- Certified in multiple therapy modalities
Leeds Beckett University, UK
MSc Psychology of Sport & Exercise
Research: Rumination in sports coaches
St. Xavier's College, Mumbai
M.A. Psychology: Lifespan Counselling
Research: Indian student-athletes’ identities & coping
St. Xavier's College, Mumbai
BA Psychology & Anthropology
The journey
Field hockey taught me what pressure feels like. Psychology taught me what to do with it.
- 2017 – 20
BA Psychology & Anthropology
St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai — while playing hockey at university level.
- 2018 – 20
Medals & nationals
West Zone Inter-University medal (2018), Khelo India Youth Games medal (2020), Junior & Senior Hockey India Nationals.
- 2020 – 21
Professional athlete
A season as a professional hockey athlete with the Sports Authority of India.
- 2021 – 23
M.A. Lifespan Counselling
St. Xavier’s, Mumbai. Dissertation: how Indian student-athletes build their identities and cope.
- Clinical
Hospital & community counselling
Counselling alongside psychiatrists at Nair Hospital (clients aged 16–80), and sessions at an elder-care home.
- 2023 – 25
MSc Sport & Exercise Psychology
Leeds Beckett, UK. Research on rumination in sports coaches, played for the Women’s 1s, volunteered with a Leeds mental-health charity.
- 2024 – 25
Schools & sport organisations
Ran social-emotional learning and co-led a special-needs programme for student-athletes at Corvuss American Academy, Karjat; sport psychology with Nudge Sports.
- 2025 →
Private practice
Seeing elite athletes, student-athletes, teens and adults. Co-created The Emotional Edge, a school wellbeing programme, ran workshops for counsellors, and certified as a SynPhNe neurofeedback trainer.
One tournament or game will never dictate your life as an athlete; it’s small, consistent steps… but more importantly, it’s what you choose to focus on.
Focus areas
Some of what brings people in. Don’t see yours? Reach out anyway — tap any card to start a booking about it.
Who I work with
Tap the one that sounds like you and see what working together could look like.
Elite Athletes
Sound familiar?
- ✦You’re sharp in training and tight in competition.
- ✦Selection, rankings and other people’s expectations live rent-free in your head.
- ✦An injury or a slump has shaken who you are, not just how you play.
Why Kelley I’ve played Hockey India Nationals and a season as a professional athlete — I know this pressure from the inside.
We might work on
Therapeutic approaches
Six approaches I draw on, mixed to fit you — not the other way round. Flip a card to see what each one actually means.
← swipe for all six →
Your mind on overthinking.
Hold the button. Breathe with the blob.Press and hold the button and breathe with the blob — in for 4, hold for 4, out for 4, hold for 4. Let go whenever you like.
In 4 · hold 4 · out 4 · hold 4
Box breathing is a grounding exercise — not therapy, but a good warm-up.
How it works
- 01
Reach out
Use the booking form, WhatsApp or email. Share as much or as little as you like.
- 02
Find your fit
We find a time and a format that works for you — online, or in-person on request.
- 03
Start training your mind
A confidential space to work on what matters to you, at a pace that feels right.
Ways to work together
Online · In-person on request
FAQ
Not at all. I work with athletes, and also with students, working professionals, parents, coaches, support staff and children. If you have a mind, it can be trained.
Whether it’s match day, exam season or a Tuesday that feels like too much — let’s train the mind together.