Impact of Substance Use on Sport Performance

This presentation is CEU Eligible

Athletes continue to use an array of substances that impact their health and performance. With each substance having a potential for ergogenic or ergolytic impact, this presentation will review current information on cannabis and vaping, demonstrating the impact on sport performance. Highlighting potency, products and marketing being used toward athletes.

This presentation will share up-to-date information regarding the impact of cannabis on mental and physical effects of cannabis use, sleep, injury, emotional acuity and perception of risk. It will review the current diagnostic information and common exchanges between organizations and athletes in order to have an intelligent cannabis conversation.

Dr. Bader has worked in the mental health and substance use field for over 20 years. She graduated from the University of North Texas in 2007 with a PhD in counseling psychology and specialization in sport psychology and completed her postdoctoral fellowship in Chemical Dependency at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. She is a Licensed Psychologist, Licensed Addiction Counselor, and Certified Mental Performance Consultant working with elite athletes and teams.

Dr. Bader has worked in a variety of treatment settings including residential, outpatient, private practice, and Native American health care. She spends time in the sport environment in collegiate athletic departments, working with professional teams and organizations, and Olympic athletes. She compliments the multi-disciplinary team at Women’s Recovery by serving as the Chief Clinical Officer, advancing treatment for women. Additionally, she maintains a private practice offering counseling, consultation, educational presentations, teaching, training and sport psychology services. She is a consultant for Major League Baseball and has contributed to Cannabis in Medicine, Weed Inked, medical board review study guides, and currently working on her own contribution to the recovery literature.

Join us on May 11th at 12:00pm ET

Performing with Purpose: ACT Values and Sport Psychology Skills for Anxiety

This presentation is CEU Eligible

This presentation explores the integration of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) values work with sport psychology principles to support individuals navigating anxiety. Participants will learn how values clarification can anchor behavior in the presence of distress, while sport psychology skills such as attentional control, cognitive flexibility, and performance routines enhance psychological flexibility in high-pressure environments. Using applied examples from both clinical and athletic settings, this session will demonstrate how aligning values with skill-based interventions can reduce experiential avoidance, increase engagement, and promote meaningful confidence and action, even when anxiety is present.

Cali Werner, Ph.D., LCSW, CMPC is the Director of Business Development and a behavior therapist at the OCD Institute of Texas and founder of Athlete Rising, LLC, where she specializes in treating anxiety, OCD, and performance-related concerns in high-achieving athletes. A former Rice University Division I distance runner, Cali earned nine conference titles and Honorable Mention All-American honors in the 10K while navigating her own experience with OCD. She later competed in the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials marathon and was the top-placing female Houstonian at the 2023 Houston Marathon. Her doctoral research at Baylor University culminated in the full dissertation Where Do We Go From Here? Mental Health in the World of Elite Sport, based on in-depth interviews with 20 Olympians examining mental health before, during, and after elite competition. Cali is also the author of the children’s book Anxious Annie and is dedicated to advancing public education, advocacy, and access to evidence-based treatment for athletes and families.

Join us on June 19 at 12:00pm ET