Mary Beth Finegan, LMSW

Clinical Director, New York Sports & Performance Psychology

Mary Beth Finegan, she/her, LMSW, has ten years of experience working as a social worker and Clinical Director in New York City covering a wide range of clinical services for children, adolescents, family, and adults across the lifespan including end of life care. She has worked in various settings from school-based mental health, alternative to incarceration, and supportive housing programs. Her most recent work includes working with homeless adults with severe mental illness, substance abuse disorders, and chronic health conditions. She specializes in trauma-focused, long-term, and relationship-centered work. She uses a wide range of evidenced based practices including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Mindfulness, and Psychotherapy for anxiety and depression. She has extensive experience working with complex clinical issues and is trained in mental health first aid. 

Mary Beth graduated from New York University’s Silver School of Social Work in 2017. Prior, to receiving her master’s degree, she lived in Cape Town, South Africa where she helped launch a grass roots NGO with a mission to bring social services and other community services into the township community of Imizamo Yethu. Her strengths are her unique ability to connect with individuals of all backgrounds and ages utilizing strong interpersonal communication skills, modeling healthy relationships, and truly meeting people’s needs where they’re at. 

Mary Beth is also a celebrated athlete having played volleyball at Meredith College and at Triangle Volleyball Club both located in Raleigh, North Carolina. She has awards for both on the court and off the court success including setting the record for Meredith’s College’s “Career Digs,”  and was named “2008 USA South Conference Libero of the Year” in addition to having Triangle Volleyball Club re-name their student-athlete community service award the “Mary Beth Finegan Award” for those who exhibit excellence through service to their community. At just eighteen years old, Mary Beth accepted her first head coaching position for a competitive 12U travel team and won the Regional Championships that same year. Ever since her first opportunity, Mary Beth has not stopped coaching whether it be head coaching a competitive youth travel team, coaching grassroots community-based clinics in Cape Town, South Africa, to coaching individual and small group private lessons. Today, she coaches with New York City’s NYC Juniors Volleyball Club where she is both head coach for the competitive 13 National team and the Program Director of their Youth Development Program called “Skills Academy.” She has won nine Regional Championship titles and has led fourteen teams to compete in USAV’s National Championship event. 

Drawing clear connections between her clinical skills and the use of strong communication and relationship skills, Mary Beth brings evidenced-based practices into the student-athlete experience. She works one on one, in groups, and with parents to help student-athletes navigate the unique pressures of being a competitive athlete. She specializes in applying Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness techniques specifically visualization and breathwork, with pre-game and “re-set” routines, in addition to equipping the coach-parent-support network with skills needed to assist their child through the student-athlete experience. Mary Beth is passionate about expanding the Sports Psychology field to cover the specific needs of competitive youth athletes and their surrounding adult support system.