The Canadian-born 60-year-old, who owns a practice in Wilmington, knows that even the mention of "psychologist" has its detractions. Once, working with an elite tennis player, he watched the frustrated athlete break a racquet.

"When I called him over, all the young kids said, ‘Rick is going to medicate him,'" Campbell said. "It is the stigma attached to it. You can have a good racquet, but you better not talk to a psychologist.''

Gradually the misconception seems to be disappearing, he says, because athletes are beginning to realize the benefits of psychological training, a lesson it took him a while to even understand himself.

Practice what you preach

Campbell grew up in British Columbia, where ice hockey and snow skiing were popular, but the self-described late bloomer only learned to skate at age 14. Instead, he became the best distance runner at his high school as well as a top-notch recreation swimmer.

"I grew up with this attitude as an uncoordinated, non-athletic kid,'' he said.

Eventually, sailing became his passion. It started with the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, a youth paramilitary program, and continued into college. While earning an undergraduate degree from Simon Fraser University, the school offered his specialty sports – distance running and sailing.

Making the sailing team boosted his confidence and self-esteem, and he fell in love with wind surfing during a trip in Norway. But self-doubt still persisted.

Then the clinical psychology major had two experiences that solidified his interest in helping others.

Competing at a major wind surfing event, he asked his coach, a world-class sailor, how he thought he would do.

"I was pretty much expecting him to say, Rick, you are a pretty lousy sailor,'' he said. "But he looked at me and said, ‘Rick, you are going to be in the top 5.''

Because of the man's expertise, he believed him and finished fifth. Campbell's self-confidence grew.

"I realized your head is just as important as your body,'' he said. "Let's say I was in good shape, but if I got nervous, I choked.''

His thoughts were reinforced while treating his first clinical patient, a Canadian high jumper suffering from social anxiety. On a date, her hands trembled picking up a fork. He asked if she became nervous in competition and replied yes.

"A light went off in my head; that is me,'' Campbell recalled.

Eventually, injuries and acute arthritis derailed his wind-surfing career. He went back to sailing and moved across North America, working with big sailboats on Lake Norman outside Charlotte.

He relocated to Wilmington in the 1990s and taught a sports psychology class at UNCW, where he eventually started a sailing club, which he has coached the past nine years.

"That was part of me giving back,'' he said. "The thing that I bring, that most coaches don't, is you have to use your head. Sailing is crisis intervention.''

A wheelchair tennis player suffering from insomnia was among his first clients in the Port City. Campbell showed him techniques to sleep better and stop worrying. It laid the groundwork for Campbell to work with U.S. Sailing Paralympic athletes.

"Sports psychology is about teaching people how to handle crisis situations using skills that are likely to help you avoid the problem,'' he said. "I am passionate about sports psychology because I hate to see someone not achieve their potential because of anxiety.''

Chuck Carree: 343-2262

On Twitter: @StarNewsSports