Consultancy and Ethical Issues

Question 1

Define mental skills training

Answer 1

Assisting athletes, coaches and teams with developing their mental skills to achieve performance success and personal well-being. (Vealey, 1998)

Question 2

Give examples of each of the following: 
Foundation skills
Performance skills
Personal development skills
Team skills

Answer 2

Foundation: Achievement drive, self-confidence
Performance: attentional focus, energy management
Personal development: identity achievement, interpersonal competence
Team: Team confidence, cohesion

Question 3

Define counselling

Answer 3

A relatively short-term, interpersonal, theory-based process of helping persons who are basically psychologically healthy resolve developmental and situational problems (ACA, 2007)

Question 4

What does professional philosophy refer to?

Answer 4

Refers to the consultant’s beliefs and values concerning the nature of reality, the place of sport in human life, the basic nature of a human being, the nature of human behaviour change and the consultant’s beliefs and values concerning his or her practical role in, and the theoretical and practical means of, influencing their client towards mutually set intervention goals (Poczwardowski, Sherman and Ravizza, 2004)

Question 5

What model outlines the professional philosphy?

Answer 5

Hierarchical model of professional philosophy (Poczwardowski, Sherman and Ravizza, 2004).
At base, consultant’s core beliefs and values, then theoretical paradigm, model of practice and consultant role. Finally, intervention goals and intervention techniques and methods.

Question 6

According to Guba (1990), what is the theoretical paradigm?

Answer 6

A basic set of beliefs that guide action

Question 7

Briefly outline the 4 perspectives to the theoretical paradigm?

Answer 7

1. Psychoanalytical - personal development heavily influenced by early life experiences. Transference and countertransference crucial to psyhcotherapeutic success.
2. Behaviourial - Behaviour is learned/formed in response to the environment, and thus can be modified by validated techniques (e.g. goal-setting)
   * *3. Cognitive-behavioural - perceptions and interpretations inform our behaviour. Aim to modify beliefs and thoughts to change behaviour.
3. Humanistic - focus on current interpersonal relationships, aim to promote responsibility and personal growth by exploring current goals and creating new life meaning

Question 8

Describe 2 models of practice within the professional philosophy

Answer 8

• *Psychological skills training: enhance the athlete’s personal growth and development through learning and developing psychological skills
• Supervisory consultant role with integrative approach: Training and supervision of the coach to deliver mental skills training alongside general sport skills training

Question 9

What are the 4 stages of the consultancy process?

Answer 9

1. Initial assessment - can use observations/interviews or specific questionnaires as well as Test of Performance Strategies (TOPS) questionniare (Thomas, Murphy and Hardy, 1999) or performance profiling (Butler, 1999) to determine baseline Psych skills level.
2. Drawing upon relevant theory and evidence base
3. Design and implement the intervention - specific (what/when/how). For intervening with PST, state the 3 phases (i.e. education phase, acquisition phase, practice phase)
4. Re-assessment - using same and/or additional measures of assessment

Question 10

What are the 4 ethical principles a sports psychology consultant must abide by?

Answer 10

1. RESPECT - for athlete’s privacy/dignity
2. COMPETENCE - CPD, working within limits
3. RESPONSIBILITY - to protect the athlete and society
4. INTEGRITY - on ability, misconduct etc.

Question 11

What is the TOPS?

Answer 11

Test of Performance Strategies questionnaire - assesses variety of psych skills using 36 items rated on a 5 point Likert scale.
Validated by Thomas et al (1999) in study of 472 athletes