Mental Performance Consultant
CMPC Candidate
Sport Social Worker
Background
Jen Prouty is the founder of Athlete's Edge Performance Consulting and a Mental Performance Consultant based in Brookings, South Dakota. She works with competitive athletes, teams, coaches, and organizations throughout South Dakota, including Sioux Falls and surrounding communities, as well as clients across the Midwest through both in-person and virtual services. Jen helps athletes develop confidence, resilience, emotional regulation, leadership, communication, and performance under pressure. While serving athletes across a variety of sports, she has a particular passion for hockey and works with hockey players, goalies, teams, camps, and organizations throughout the Midwest and beyond.
In addition to individual athlete services, Jen partners with teams and organizations to provide integrated mental performance support throughout a season. Through workshops, leadership development, coach collaboration, and ongoing Team Partnerships, she helps programs strengthen athlete development, team culture, communication, leadership, resilience, and performance throughout a season.
Jen earned both her Bachelor of Science in Social Work and Master of Social Work degrees from the University of South Dakota. She currently serves as a Field Instructor for MSW students and is a member of the University of South Dakota's MSW Practicum Advisory Committee.
Throughout her career, Jen has received extensive training in evidence-based approaches focused on behavior change, skill development, and performance enhancement. She applies this experience to help athletes and teams identify productive habits, strengthen performance routines, and develop the mental skills necessary for success in training and competition.
Jen's background in social work allows her to take a person-first approach to athlete development, recognizing that performance and well-being are closely connected. Rather than simply encouraging athletes to "tough it out," she brings a new perspective to the phrase "Life's tough, get a helmet" by helping athletes build the confidence, resilience, and mental skills necessary to navigate adversity and continue growing through life's challenges.
Work Experience
Prior to founding Athlete's Edge Performance Consulting, Jen worked in a variety of behavioral health and clinical settings, including outpatient therapy, rural school-based behavioral health services, program development, and private practice. Throughout her career she has worked with athletes, performers, and high-achieving individuals, helping them develop the skills needed to navigate pressure, adversity, and performance demands.
Education
Master of Social Work – University of South Dakota - 2017
Bachelor of Science in Social Work – University of South Dakota - 2015
Licenses / Certifications
Sport Social Work Certificate – University of Michigan – 2025
Certified Mental Performance Consultant Candidate - Currently pursuing CMPC certification (Association for Applied Sport Psychology)
Licensed Certified Social Worker Eligible to Engage in Private or Independent Practice (CSW-PIP) – South Dakota
Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) – Minnesota
SafeSport Trained (General & Healthcare Professional) - US Center for SafeSport - 2025
Areas of Focus
Sports of special interest include hockey, wrestling, basketball, and football, with a particular focus on supporting hockey athletes, goalies, coaches, and organizations.
High school Athletes, Collegiate Athletics, Performance Anxiety, Injury Recovery, Mental Skills Training, Team and Coach Support, Leadership Development, Resilience Training, Confidence Enhancement, College Recruitment Stress, and Life Skills Training.