Sports Psychology

are similar, or even identical, to those provided to the broader population, meaning that they have the most research and data to point them toward successful pathways. These psychologists will help athletes to improve performance, by alleviating mental health issues, providing healthy frameworks for relationships and life decisions, and providing a perspective on choices that might otherwise be absent from a player’s life. The first, and often most effective, treatment provided by a clinical sports psychologist is talk therapy. While it may seem odd, talking with a stranger like a psychologist can be more effective than talking with a friend or family member. For starters, having to explain an entire situation (like a personal disagreement) from the very start can help a person to feel better and gain perspective. Furthermore, a clinical sports psychologist is a disinterested party, someone who does not have any particular stakes in a decision or an outcome, other than wanting to help their patient. That helps them to give advice or feedback to an athlete that they may not receive from a friend, including advice to walk away from a competition, or even a sport, if they feel that the pressure has taken them to a breaking point. One of the most common, and most effective, forms of clinical sports psychology is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Often used for depression and anxiety, CBT helps patients to understand the connections among their thoughts, feelings, and everyday actions. Athletes who face overwhelming problems, like struggles playing at a high level or trying to earn a new contract, can benefit from CBT approaches that break these problems down into smaller, more manageable steps. A clinical sports psychologist will then help an athlete understand how to identify negative influences, behavior, or patterns in their lives, and how to work to address them to

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Sports Psychology