Sport Psychology Consulting at Elite Sport Competitions

Lee-Ann Sharp, Ken Hodge, Steve Danish

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Citations (Scopus)
1558 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to examine what experienced sport psychology consultants (SPCs) believed to be essential for consulting effectiveness at elite sport competitions (i.e., pinnacle sporting events). A purposeful sampling method was used to recruit 10 experienced SPCs (8 male and 2 female, M age = 50.44 years, M years consulting experience = 21.67 years) who held current sport psychology accreditation/certification and who had considerable experience consulting at pinnacle sporting events (e.g., Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cups, European Championships). Following individual participant interviews, extensive inductive content analysis revealed that effective consulting was reflective of building a relationship with clients that has a positive impact on the individual and which the client is both happy with and will continue to develop. Additionally, fitting in but not getting in the way, consistent SPC behavior and working closely with coaches were perceived as essential while working at elite sport competitions.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)75-88
JournalSport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology
Volume3
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished (in print/issue) - 2013

Bibliographical note

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Keywords

  • consulting effectiveness
  • elite sport
  • consulting relationship
  • coaches

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