Who generally goes to a Sport Psychologist? Whether you are looking to improve your performance through better concentration or whether you are finding it difficult to deal with a fear which has occurred post injury Sport Psychology can be of benefit. Individual athletes can attend or a Sport Psychologist can work with the entire team – including management. What should I expect from a consultation?
Following a discussion regarding your goals for the consultation and what you wish to achieve from the intervention you will usually be asked to fill out the relevant assessment questionnaire(s) which will provide your Sport Psychologist with pertinent information. The feedback from the assessments and the informal discussion will lead the way for intervention so that you can achieve the goals which have been agreed between you and your Sport Psychologist. What follows is really dependant on the athlete and the information from the assessments. The techniques can involve anything from attention control training and reframing to hypnosis. There is usually an incremental improvement following each consultation. Follow up is important and your progress should be monitored over an agreed period of time.
When working with a team, in order to get maximum performance improvement from that team the Sport Psychologist will generally work one to one with the athletes and will also give general feedback and recommendations to management. They will often attend training sessions and matches in an observatory capacity also. Where the athletes agree, individual feedback is also given to management.
What is the difference between Sport Psychology ‘Specialists’ and Sport Psychologists.
There are a host of internet and part-time courses available in virtually any discipline you care to mention and Sport Psychology is no exception. Those who refer to themselves as Sport Psychology ‘specialists’ or who use similar non-descript terms generally do not have a degree in Psychology. Those who work as Sports Psychologists will generally have a basic degree in Psychology which takes three to four years to complete and a post graduate degree in either Sports Science or Sports Medicine. Thus the latter will have an in-depth knowledge regarding how the brain works and how the body works specifically with regard to training and performance. Just because someone plays sport or has an interest in sport does not necessarily qualify them to assess and intervene. Qualifications exist for a reason, so do not be afraid to ask about someone’s qualifications.
Niamh Flynn, director of Bodywatch Ltd, the successful Sport Psychology company.What should I expect from a consultation?
Following a discussion regarding your goals for the consultation and what you wish to achieve from the intervention you will usually be asked to fill out the relevant assessment questionnaire(s) which will provide your Sport Psychologist with pertinent information. The feedback from the assessments and the informal discussion will lead the way for intervention so that you can achieve the goals which have been agreed between you and your Sport Psychologist. What follows is really dependant on the athlete and the information from the assessments. The techniques can involve anything from attention control training and reframing to hypnosis. There is usually an incremental improvement following each consultation. Follow up is important and your progress should be monitored over an agreed period of time.
When working with a team, in order to get maximum performance improvement from that team the Sport Psychologist will generally work one to one with the athletes and will also give general feedback and recommendations to management. They will often attend training sessions and matches in an observatory capacity also. Where the athletes agree, individual feedback is also given to management.
What is the difference between Sport Psychology ‘Specialists’ and Sport Psychologists.
There are a host of internet and part-time courses available in virtually any discipline you care to mention and Sport Psychology is no exception. Those who refer to themselves as Sport Psychology ‘specialists’ or who use similar non-descript terms generally do not have a degree in Psychology. Those who work as Sports Psychologists will generally have a basic degree in Psychology which takes three to four years to complete and a post graduate degree in either Sports Science or Sports Medicine. Thus the latter will have an in-depth knowledge regarding how the brain works and how the body works specifically with regard to training and performance. Just because someone plays sport or has an interest in sport does not necessarily qualify them to assess and intervene. Qualifications exist for a reason, so do not be afraid to ask about someone’s qualifications.
Niamh Flynn, director of Bodywatch Ltd, the successful Sport Psychology company.
