How this psychologist teaches Olympic athletes to approach success and failure

"A clinical psychologist with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Emily Clark's job when the Winter Games open in Italy on Feb. 6 is to help athletes interpret what it means to be successful. Should gold medals be the only measure? Part of a 15-member staff providing psychological services, Clark nurtures athletes accustomed to triumph but who invariably risk failure."

"The staff deals with matters termed "mental health and mental performance." They include topics such as motivation, anger management, anxiety, eating disorders, family issues, trauma, depression, sleep, handling pressure, travel and so forth. Clark's area includes stress management, the importance of sleep and getting high achievers to perform at their best and avoid the temptation of looking only at results."

"Clark's area includes stress management, the importance of sleep and getting high achievers to perform at their best and avoid the temptation of looking only at results. "A lot of athletes these days are aware of the mental health component of, not just sport, but of life," Clark said in an interview with The Associated Press. "This is an area where athletes can develop skills that can extend a career, or make it more enjoyable.""

A clinical psychologist with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee helps athletes interpret what it means to be successful at the Winter Games. A 15-member staff provides psychological services covering mental health and mental performance, including motivation, anger management, anxiety, eating disorders, family issues, trauma, depression, sleep, handling pressure, and travel. Areas of focus include stress management, sleep hygiene, and helping high achievers avoid evaluating themselves solely by results. Most Team USA athletes will not win a gold medal; elite sport yields few repeat appearances, and roughly 70.8% of Olympians attend only one Games.

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