On a Wednesday before autumn quarter, Scarlett attends her first CBT session with Sam, a neutral, poised counselor at Stanford’s Counseling Services. Scarlett explains she tried Stanford Athletics’ sports psychologists but chose CBT due to past success with family issues involving her father, insisting that part is resolved.

Sam admits she knows little about diving and asks for an overview. Scarlett describes NCAA competition, her two events—three-meter springboard and ten-meter platform—and how judges score deductions. She also acknowledges an injury that occurred about fifteen months earlier, at the end of freshman year.

As Scarlett outlines the sport’s structure, she says there are six groups of dives and lists them aloud. Sam shifts focus from the injury timeline back to the list, listening closely and giving Scarlett space to speak.

Sam then points out that Scarlett listed only five groups despite claiming there are six, and asks whether the injury is connected to that omission. The observation exposes Scarlett’s likely avoidance, signaling the core issue their CBT will target moving forward.