(519) 837-1228

Dr. Carla Edwards 

Dr. Carla Edwards is a Psychiatrist whose practice focuses on the treatment of mental illness and psychological struggles in athletes. Hailing from Newfoundland and Labrador, she completed her Bachelor of Science and Masters’ degrees in Chemistry at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick. While completing her degrees, she also competed on their varsity volleyball team in the Atlantic University conference, accumulating such awards as Conference Rookie of the Year and First Team All Star for each of her five years of competition.  She was inducted into the Newfoundland and Labrador Sport Hall of Fame in 2015. She obtained her medical degree at Memorial University of Newfoundland before completing a psychiatry residency at McMaster University. She has been an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences at McMaster University since 2005. 

202-511 Edinburgh Road South

​Guelph, ON N1G 4S5​

​​​Synergy Sport + Mental Health

STAFF

During her early career at the Homewood Health Centre in Guelph, she earned leadership roles in areas of advocacy, collaboration, development, and management. In 2012, she returned to her passion of sport and built her Sport Psychiatry practice.


At Synergy Sport + Mental Health (in addition to her other physical and virtual locations), Dr. Edwards provides consultation and support for high performance, elite, and professional athletes with focus on diagnosis and treatment pertaining to the intersection of mental health and performance. Performance enhancement strategies are interwoven in the overall approach to wellness. Achievements and challenges are explored through performance and mental health lenses, and tailored approaches to support and management are developed in collaboration with the athlete/perfromer and parents (when appropriate).


Services are available for:

  • youth athletes
  • varsity athletes
  • high performance athletes (including Olympic and Paralympic teams)
  • professional athletes
  • performance artists (including musicians, actors, and dancers)
  • other high performance professionals including coaches, lawyers, judges, executives, CEOs, GMs


Dr. Edwards has provided support for more than 25,000 athletes in her career, spanning competitive youth athletes to collegiate athletes (NCAA, USPORTS), and professional athletes from the CFL, NFL, MLB, NBA, CEBL, NLL, NHL, and OHL. She has treated athletes from most sports, and in particular has supported athletes from Swimming Canada, Athletics Canada, Lacrosse Canada, TriCan, Hockey Canada, Skate Canada, Cycling Canada, Wrestling Canada, Rowing Canada, Bobsleigh Canada, Alpine Canada, Volleyball Canada, Basketball Canada, Rugby Canada, Artistic Swimming Canada, and Fencing Canada. She also provides sport psychiatry consultation and support for the Hamilton TigerCats CFL Football Club, Hamilton Forge CPL Soccer Club , and Toronto Rock NLL Club. She is the President of the International Society for Sport Psychiatry, is on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine, and is a member of the NCAA Mental Health Advisory Group. She is the only Psychiatrist in Canada to achieve the High Performance Sport Certification through Sport Scientist Canada. She was the Sports Psychiatrist for the Swimming Canada athletes at the Tokyo 2021 Sumer Olympic Games


Refer to "Expert Services" tab for a more comprehensive list of areas of expertise.