Ultimately It Comes Down To The Relationship: Experienced Consultants’ Views Of Effective Sport Psychology Consulting

Lee-Ann Sharp, Ken Hodge, Steve Danish

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

40 Citations (Scopus)
91 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to; (a) examine what experienced SPCs perceived to be the necessary components of the sport psychology consulting relationship, and (b) examine individual contributions of the SPC and client to the consulting relationship. Purposeful sampling 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 consulting experience. Following individual interviews, extensive content analysis revealed that the sport psychology consulting relationship was reflective of (a) rapport, (b) respect, (c) trust, (d) a partnership, and (e) a positive impact on the client. Members of the consulting relationship made individual contributions to the relationship; SPCs contributed; (a) honesty, (b) commitment, (c) knowledge and expertise, (d) counselling skills, and (e) professional ethical behavior. With clients contributing; (a) openness to change, (b) honesty, and (c) willingness to work.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)358-370
JournalSport Psychologist
Volume29
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished (in print/issue) - 31 Dec 2015

Keywords

  • consulting relationship
  • working alliance
  • rapport
  • trust

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