Injury is more than a physical setback; it affects who a person is, how they see themselves, and what they believe they are capable of becoming. For all clients, injury can disrupt identity, threaten future opportunities, and introduce fear, doubt, and uncertainty. Yet while rehabilitation systems are designed to treat the body, the psychological experience of injury is often overlooked, minimized, or treated as secondary.
The COPE Center exists to address this gap.
Many clients move through injury feeling isolated, misunderstood, or pressured to “push through,” while the professionals supporting them often lack access to the tools, training, or collaborative structures needed to address the mental and emotional side of recovery. Traditional models of care unintentionally place responsibilities on one discipline when such a responsibility should be shared across many, allowing both clients and practitioners to flourish via comprehensive support.
Our work is grounded in the belief that injury recovery (and performance more broadly) requires a transdisciplinary approach [1]. This means that no single provider carries the weight alone. Instead, professionals from diverse fields work together, guided by shared knowledge, open communication, and a unified commitment to the client’s wellbeing.
The COPE Center exists to bring this model to life.
We provide the psychological expertise, collaborative frameworks, and referral pathways needed to help clients heal more fully and for practitioners to work more cohesively. Whether we are supporting an injured athlete through the fear of returning to play, consulting with a dietitian on the mental barriers that hinder nutritional compliance, or helping a clinic build integrated care systems, our purpose is the same:
To ensure that every client receives the comprehensive, compassionate, and coordinated support they deserve in both mind and body .
This is why we exist.
To close the gap.
To strengthen the system.
And to elevate the standard of care for every client we serve.
References
Meyer, B. B., Merkur, A., Ebersole, K. T., & Massey, W. V. (2014). The realities of working in elite sport: What they didn’t teach you in graduate school. In A. M. Lane, M. Godfrey, M. Loosemore, & W. G. P (Eds.), Applied sport science and medicine: Case studies from practice (pp. 137–142).
