Liz Beecroft discovered her interest in sports psychotherapy through her own mental health journey as an athlete. Growing up playing basketball in Frackville, Pennsylvania, Liz remembers her struggle with anxiety at a young age—experiencing frequent panic attacks at sleepaway basketball camps and oftentimes having a hard time traveling—, and the lack of understanding expressed by coaches at the time. It was not something that was talked about. It was something that almost seemed too far-fetched to be understood from the outside looking in. But for Liz, it was real. It was something that she knew a lot of fellow athletes experienced as well, but seldom discussed. These experiences were the spark that collectively ignited her interest in mental health within sports, and fueled her mission to want to help athletes as a therapist. In 2014, Liz moved to New York to pursue a master's degree in social work after doing her undergrad in psychology, and officially embarked on her professional journey in psychotherapy. It has only been up from there. Merging her passion for sports, sneakers, and mental health, Liz has since founded her own private practice—primarily working with athletes and creatives and helping them with their mental health—as well as built her own brand in the industry. Driven by the importance of being yourself, remaining authentic, and "meeting people where they're at" on their journeys, Liz is excited to continue shining light on the importance of mental health in the years to come throughout her personal ventures and collaborations with different organizations. Truly inspiring!
Let’s dive into your journey early on! What were some key takeaways or lessons that you learned from your time playing the game that you carried with you as you embarked on your journey as a mental health professional?
So I was a point guard and I loved being a leader on the court. It wasn't about scoring or having the best stats, it was about being able to lead my team as a unit. I think through that, it’s skills in life of just communication, transparency, looking ahead, making a plan, trying to foresee what my future holds or how I can help other people with their futures (that) carry over. You know, teamwork and just being there for other people. I'm an only child, so that's essentially why my parents got me into basketball because it would help me be around other people my age. Because of that, it really also helped me socially—going out, just meeting new people, and being curious about their lives. I've met so many people from so many different walks of life just from playing basketball. You know, we could have nothing in common, but at the end of the day, we all share a love of the sport; and that's such a beautiful thing.
That’s awesome! When did you discover your interest in pursuing a journey in psychotherapy?
I'm a huge Philly sports fan—as much as I love the Sixers, I also really love the Phillies. I remember Cole Hamels, who was a pitcher on the Phillies probably when I was around a junior/senior in high school, and he struggled a lot just with his mental performance. For me, that was something that really sparked my interest in the mental side of sports. You know, I always knew it was there, but it just didn't compute for me until I was older how much of an importance and a significance your mental health plays in how you show up as an athlete. That was something that I think really struck my interest. It actually wasn't until later in college. I went to school to study biology originally, and I wanted to be an orthodontist because I thought it would make me a lot of money. I just thought, for whatever reason, putting braces on people's teeth would be a fun thing (*laughs*); but I ended up changing my major. I took organic chemistry and I hated it. It was really hard—just playing sports, trying to make your labs, and everything. So I ended up changing my major to psychology, and then that's kind of where I was like: “Maybe I need to revisit that idea.” That's where it all happened.
Once you embarked on your professional career, what were some challenges that you faced early on and how did you work to overcome them?
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