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WKBW Buffalo News 7
"For me mental health issues...It's been a battle to say the least," explained Anderson. "You're up and down, and you feel something one day, and the next day you feel completely different."
Anderson said the Bills Team Sports Psychologist Dr. Desaree Festa helped him. His closest teammates, one of which is Spencer Brown, also played a big part. The two were neighbors during Anderson's first year.
December 06, 2024
How Bills kicker Tyler Bass rebounded from playoff loss
ESPN News
"I learned this in my rookie year," Bass said. "I think [Bills team sport psychologist] Dr. [Desaree] Festa told me, 'Would you wanna wake up in the morning, look at your phone and just see, or have 20 people in your room just saying, you suck, you're bad, you're terrible. You're not this...' Like, that's not a good way to wake up ... why even put yourself through that. Wake up, be grateful. Breathe, just enjoy the morning, enjoy being awake and just being in the moment."
Aug 14, 2024, 06:00 AM ET
The Athletic
“Just making sure I have teammates and coaching staff to rely on when things get a little heavy,” Allen said. “(Team sports psychologist Dr. Desaree Festa) talked about some mindset stuff today in our team meeting. It was a good reminder. It doesn’t matter who you are; you have to make sure your mentals are right and work on that as much as the physical stuff.”
June 12, 2024
Eastern University
“Healthy athletes off the field are healthy athletes on the field,” Dr. Desaree explains. “As the team’s sport psychologist, I provide mental health counseling to help players and coaches navigate difficult life situations and equip them with mental techniques and strategies that optimize their performance on the team, among other responsibilities.”
December 07, 2023
Buffalo Bills
"My job as the team psychologist is to help optimize players' mental space on the field as well as off the field. Thus, the goal is to take care of both the athlete and the person in their mental, emotional, and relational well-being because we know that healthier athletes off the field are healthier athletes on the field and vice versa. My goal is to help support the whole player, both performer and person. Healthier athletes off the field are healthier athletes on the field and vice versa."
October 10, 2023
NBC Sports
The Buffalo Bills may have received a hero's welcome when they returned to the field Sunday for the first time since Damar Hamlin collapsed on Monday. But one of the loudest pregame ovations was for the heroes who helped save Hamlin's life: the Bills' medical and athletic training staff.
January 8, 2023
Sports Illustrated
There’s Dr. Desaree Festa, the sport psychologist for the Bills and Sabers, giving advice on “how powerful the mind can be, and how your words can become your reality.” Known by the team as “Dr. Dez,” she received a game ball after clinching the division last season.
Oct 14, 2022
ESPN News
The Bills are taking the approach of moving at Hamlin's speed and doing things in whatever way is comfortable and healthy for him. He has a daily devotional book that he reads, which he shapes his day around. He also leans on the support of his family, Bills sports psychologist Dr. Desaree Festa, friends and teammates.
July 31, 2023
WCCB Charlotte News
“It’s not that you have it or don’t have it, it’s something that you always have to be intentional on how you enhance,” Festa said. “Always making sure that the team leaders are doing things to make sure they are joining things together.”
Festa says training camp and the early portions of the season are a good time for teammates to go through events and/or adversity together.
July 25, 2016
