Lynn Puma

Lynn Puma is a licensed clinical social worker in North Carolina and South Carolina. She works with teens, young adults, and adults. Lynn is particularly passionate about serving student & college athletes and high-stress professionals such as medical personnel, first responders, and other helping professionals. Many of Lynn’s clients come to address performance anxiety, fatigue, burnout, and performance issues. Lynn believes physical, mental, and emotional health are all connected. When you’re mentally healthy, you can enjoy your life and the people in it, feel good about yourself, and deal with stress more constructively. In the session, Lynn focuses on creating positive habits as a great way to support your mental health. This helps you build skills to use when you do face difficult situations. She focuses on teaching brief mindfulness interventions, including deep breathing and grounding techniques, that can be used when challenging situations arise. She uses therapeutic approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing, and mindfulness. She recently became an instructor in Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement (MSPE). Lynn received her BA in Criminal Justice and Psychology from Alfred University. There, she was a four-year starter for the Women’s Soccer team and captain for three of those years. Throughout her time at Alfred, she was recognized at the conference and state levels, winning the ECAC student-athlete award her senior year. She received her Master in Social Work (MSW) from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. For the majority of her career, she worked at Levine Children's Hospital, where she provided mental health support and guidance to children and families living with chronic illnesses. She is also a part-time lecturer in the School of Social Work at UNC Charlotte where she has taught for 10 years. Outside of private practice, she enjoys hiking, playing soccer, and being outdoors. She is an avid sports fan and loves attending sporting events with her family. Lynn is also a fierce advocate for women's sports. She is heavily involved with advocacy at a state level and currently sits on the North Carolina Chapter of the National Association of Social Worker's Legislative Committee.