Developmental Performance
The integration of performance and child psychology, a framework built for young people, the families around them, and the organisations that shape them.
Developmental Performance is Mentology's signature framework, and our most distinctive contribution to the field of applied psychology.
It is the integration of two specialisms that have, until now, been treated as separate worlds: performance psychology and child and developmental psychology.
Performance psychology brings a deep understanding of how people think, perform, and respond under pressure. Child and developmental psychology brings the equally vital understanding of how young people grow, form their sense of self, and build the psychological foundations that shape the rest of their lives.
When these two worlds are brought together collaboratively by specialists from each field, the result is a kind of psychological support that neither discipline alone can offer. We call itDevelopmental Performance, and it sits at the heart of everything we do.
The Gap We Saw
A young academy footballer struggling with performance anxiety. A talented young dancer whose entire identity is tied to their performance. A high performing A-Level student managing the expectations of university applications and comparing themselves to others. A family unsure how to talk to their child about pressure, selection, or setback.
These are situations where traditional performance psychology may feel daunting and problem-focused, whilst traditional child psychology support may lack understanding of the unique context and demands of a high-performance environment.
Mentology was built to fill that gap, to offer young people, families, and organisations a kind of support that brings two complementary disciplines of psychology together, allowing difficulties to be explored through more than one lens.
Who It's For
Developmental Performance work is for anyone navigating the intersection of growing up and performing, and the people and organisations around them.
Young Athletes
Children, adolescents, and young adults in competitive or elite sporting environments, from academy systems to age-group national pathways.
Performing Artists
Young dancers, musicians, actors, and other performers facing the dual demands of the creative industry and adolescent development.
Parents and Families
Families navigating the demands of supporting a young performer, looking for guidance that takes both the developmental stage of their child and the performance environment seriously.
Academic High-Achievers
Gifted young people and high-performing students navigating the demands of A-Levels, university applications, and other high-stakes academic environments, where ability has become a source of pressure rather than confidence.
Organisations
Schools, sports academies, performing arts schools, and youth-development organisations seeking psychologically informed practice for their high-performance environments.
Our Workshops
Mentology delivers Developmental Performance through bespoke workshops, designed and led jointly by Jack and Mollie, drawing on their respective domains to produce an offer that is greater than the sum of its parts.
Parent Workshops
Equipping parents and families with the understanding and strategies to support young performers at home.
Our parent workshops are designed to normalise the psychological landscape your young person is navigating, and to equip you with practical, evidence-based strategies to support their development and performance.
Recent and recurring topics include:
The important role of boredom in childhood
Developing athletic identity using values-based behaviours
Organisation Workshops
Bringing Developmental Performance into the schools, clubs, and academies that shape young performers.
Our organisation workshops are designed for the schools, clubs, and academies responsible for developing young performers, bringing evidence-based Developmental Performance practice into the environments that shape young people every day.
Recent and recurring topics include:
Metacognition in sport and its contribution to academic and social development
How to harness perfectionism for Developmental Performance
The power of sport and movement in developing emotional regulation skills
How We Work Together
Developmental Performance is not a single discipline delivered by two practitioners. It is the collaboration of two specialists, each bringing the breadth and diversity of their training to every piece of work we do.
In practice, this means Jack and Mollie design and deliver workshops jointly, drawing on their separate strands of psychology to bring together a unique blend of approaches. This integration is what makes Mentology's approach distinctive, and what positions Mentology within an emerging, integrative space in applied psychology.
Delivery Formats
We deliver workshops in two formats, depending on the needs of the audience:
In-Person at Your Organisation
Bespoke, immersive sessions delivered at your school, club, academy, or organisation, designed around the specific developmental and performance demands of your context.
Online and Interactive
Professional, accessible online workshops that bring the same engagement to remote audiences. Ideal for parent groups across the country, multi-site
Looking Ahead
We are actively developing a growing library of webinars and digital resources, designed to bring Developmental Performance into homes, schools, and organisations beyond the direct reach of our workshops. These will be available through the Mentology Store. Follow us to be notified when they launch.
Please get in touch if you have any ideas for bespoke workshops for your organisation.
CONTACT USReady to grow?
Whether you're getting in touch for a young person, a family, or an organisation, we'd love to hear from you.