Life leads us through many twists and turns to reach our destination finally. These twists and turns come as blessings in disguise, helping us build that resilience and narrating a story that inspires.
Alex Grove’s success story is one such riveting tale that reconnected him with his first love, sports.
Alex was born and raised in Wanstead, East London.
In 1989, his school threatened to sue his parents for taking him out – when it had become clear the school had failed to pick up on the severity of his learning disabilities. But, an empty threat as it was, Alex’s dyslexia forced him to learn the hard truth that excelling in your goals is a stressful process, especially when success finds ways to evade you.
A difficult decision was made, and soon Alex found himself surrounded by the green fields of Wiltshire and a new school he would call home.
Today Alex looks back with pride as he recalls a life’s journey that has seen a young man take his first job at a local authority leisure centre – and go on to a 15-year career in fitness that led to positions at Buckingham Palace and Lords Cricket.
Having worked with New York Red Bulls in 2008, he decided to reach out to professional teams in London, and a successful spell at the QPR Trust as a Health Officer followed.
Curious about how every individual handles stress leads Alex to scavenge for ways through which one can support themselves in times of distress. Wanting to test new roles and take up challenges that come with new careers led him to look for something different. In 2017, Alex established his own company, Alex Grove Coaching and Development – a practice that offers coaching, counselling, and player care.
However, to understand how individuals handle stress, he needed prior knowledge, leading him to acquire a post-grad diploma in CBT. The course proved to be more than rewarding, and Alex began to train as a psychotherapist with The Counselling Foundation in 2018. With his master’s degree in counselling from the University of Essex underway, he makes a compelling argument for the use of counselling psychology in the care plans of professional athletes.
Today, Alex works with adults from diverse backgrounds, helping them deal with the issues that impact the balance of their emotional health.
He has built trustworthy relationships with athletes from many sports, assisting them in coping with stress.
The education system undermined Alex due to his dyslexia, but he persevered and evolved.
His passion for combining learning, working with people and sports, in general, led him to complete his Player Care certificate in 2021; undoubtedly, he is heading for great things.
Check out the Alex Grove Coaching and Development website to learn more about what this sports psychotherapist offers.
