How can sport & performance psychology help you?

There can sometimes be a misconception around sport & performance psychologists. Talking with my peers, at times there can be mistrust when a sport psych joins a support staff and players worry that the psych is reporting directly to coaches. This is generally unfounded because we are bound by an ethical code of conduct and unless explicitly stated, everything confided in a sport psychologist is confidential.

At an individual level, investing in a sport psychologist can be a little daunting if a) you haven't worked with one previously and b) the overall financial commitment. This blog looks to provide a brief overview of the areas sport & performance psychologists can help you achieve a competitive edge in your sport.

Working with individual athletes

The intervention applied by a psychologist is dependent on your presenting issues, and personally as a practitioner with a holistic approach, I like to take into consideration the athlete as a human being who wears many hats. Therefore, my recommendations will take into account you as a whole person and not just an athlete.

Whether you need assistance with confidence, relaxation and choking prevention in the form of simple psychological techniques (self-talk, imagery, goal-setting), we are here to help. We can equally implement strategy to ensure a challenge state and optimal level of arousal is present during competition, to help you achieve peak performance. Our remit is not only to help achieve peak performance, but we can also help athletic transitions (youth athlete to senior athlete, senior athlete to retired athlete, fit athlete to injured athlete); and issues such as body image, sexuality and overtraining syndrome which can at times reflect sub-optimal mental health. Whatever your presenting issues are, our goal is to help you become a successful, motivated, resilient athlete.

On the ground at training & during competitions

You will often see sport psychologists roaming the metaphorical touchline (whatever your sport may be) during training and matches. Not only will they be looking for ways in which they can help you individually, they will be observing group dynamics (both inter-team & coach-athlete relationships) as well as how leadership groups operate within the overall team dynamics. During competitions, sport psychologists can additionally help with the performance basics such as sleep hygiene, relaxation and mindset transitions across the competition.

Supporting staff & organisations

Sport psychologists can assist support staff in ensuring optimal conditions for skill acquisition, offer advice on how to develop and maintain successful coach-athlete relationships, offer advice in supporting player self-regulation, and educate in athlete burnout and drop out prevention. We can also be contracted at an organisational level to optimise organisational culture and climate to enhance performance environment​, support the development of relationship dynamics required to underpin successful performance, and introduce a psychosocial approach to organisational performance enhancement.

How can I help you?

Should you have any questions about this blog, or if you would like to explore a potential working relationship, please do get in touch - I would love to hear from you and help you achieve your sporting goals.