Sport Psych 2

Question 1

• PST refers to the … and … practice of … skills for enhanced performance - the role of the sport psych practitioner is to educate and facilitate
• PST is for … - and the goal is not to ‘…’ but to …
• A key tenet of psychological skills training (PST) is that it’s not a magic wand - just like we train physically for sport, we must do the same with mental skills
  ⚬ I.e.: structured, consistent practice
  ⚬ I.e.: done in advance

Answer 1

• PST refers to the systematic and consistent practice of psychological skills for enhanced performance - the role of the sport psych practitioner is to educate and facilitate
• PST is for everyone - and the goal is not to ‘fix’ but to enhance
• A key tenet of psychological skills training (PST) is that it’s not a magic wand - just like we train physically for sport, we must do the same with mental skills
  ⚬ I.e.: structured, consistent practice
  ⚬ I.e.: done in advance

Question 2

• Strong influence from … theories
• Cognitive-Behavioural approach to PST:
• To make change, we must … something!
• We … our way into new thoughts, rather than
  … our way into new actions (Beck, 2011;
  Henriksen, 2015)
  ⚬ e.g.: goal setting

AFTER

Phases of Psychological Skills Training

⚬ Education:
⚬ Needs Assessment:
⚬ Acquisition:
⚬ Practice:

Answer 2

• Strong influence from counselling theories
• Cognitive-Behavioural approach to PST:
• To make change, we must DO something! We can’t just sit around
• We act our way into new thoughts, rather than
  thinking our way into new actions (Beck, 2011;
  Henriksen, 2015)
  ⚬ e.g.: goal setting

AFTER

⚬ Education: What is PST, mental side on performance
etc.
⚬ Needs Assessment: Strengths and weaknesses,
areas for improvement, sport specific demands of
group or individual
⚬ Acquisition: Learning the psychological skills
⚬ Practice: Using a skill until it becomes automatic

Question 3

Question 4

CONSIDERATIONS FOR PST
* Strongest predictor of intervention success is the…
(Duncan & Sparks, 2010)

• PST interventions should be tailored to … needs - athletes need to work on different skills as
  well as have different approaches to working on skills
  (Weinberg & Gould, 2015)

⚬ Meet athlete where …
* Include coaches in the process - supporting athlete,
as well as working on their own skills (Halliwell, 1990;
Weinberg & Williams, 2021)

Answer 4

• Strongest predictor of intervention success is the
  relationship between the athlete and the practitioner
  (Duncan & Sparks, 2010)
• PST interventions should be tailored to individual
  needs - athletes need to work on different skills as
  well as have different approaches to working on skills
  (Weinberg & Gould, 2015)

⚬ Meet athlete where they are at!
* Include coaches in the process - supporting athlete,
as well as working on their own skills (Halliwell, 1990;
Weinberg & Williams, 2021)

Question 5

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE SPP
Who is leading the program can be as important as
the content.

Effective Sport Psychology Practitioners

• Establish … and …
• Are …. and have something….
• Conduct … throughout the season
• Adapt to …. needs of each athlete and tailor the intervention

Answer 5

Who is leading the program can be as important as
the content.

Effective Sport Psychology Practitioners (as cited in Weinberg & Gould,
2015):
* Establish trust and rapport
* Are knowledgeable and have something concrete to offer
* Conduct follow-ups throughout the season
* Adapt to specific needs of each athlete and tailor the intervention

Question 6

FORMAL OPTIONS
* Group Sessions:

• Individual Sessions:

Answer 6

• Group Sessions: full team together for a
  presentation on a given mental skill
• Individual Sessions: one-on-one consulting with the
  sport psych practitioner and athletes
  (Halliwell, 1990; Werthner, personal communication)

Question 7

• Informal approaches outlined here …. to sport
  psychology consulting - you typically won’t find these in
  …. counselling
• Brief contact interventions: … intervention, maximum …min that focus on …. enhancement in the moment
  ⚬ Occur on the … (e.g., on a chairlift, or bottom of the
  halfpipe as pictured)
• Being ‘…’ in a team & observation
  ⚬ Practitioner becomes part of athlete’s …. environment - systematic, holistic
  ⚬ Presence - relationship building
  ⚬ Ethical considerations

Answer 7

• Informal approaches outlined here unique to sport
  psychology consulting - you typically won’t find these in
  clinical counselling
• Brief contact interventions: unplanned intervention,
  maximum 15-20min that focus on performance
  enhancement in the moment (Giges & Petitpas, 2000)
  ⚬ Occur on the field (e.g., on a chairlift, or bottom of the
  halfpipe as pictured)
• Being ‘embedded’ in a team & observation
  ⚬ Practitioner becomes part of athlete’s regular environment - systematic, holistic
  ⚬ Presence - relationship building
  ⚬ Ethical considerations

Question 8

CONTINUOUS LEARNING
* Continuous … and … is critical for
learning and behaviour change

• Sport psych … can facilitate this process,
  with support from coach
• After debriefs, athlete should leave with …. of how they are doing relative to goals, and what their next steps are

Answer 8

• Continuous debriefing and reflection is critical for
  learning and behaviour change
• Sport psych practitioner can facilitate this process,
  with support from coach
• After debriefs, athlete should leave with clear
  understanding of how they are doing relative to
  goals, and what their next steps are
  (Werthner, 2019)