Empowering Sport Psychologists in Addressing Interpersonal Violence

While pursuing athletic excellence is an essential part of sport, athletes’ well-being and safety should always be considered the highest priority. Yet in recent times, numerous personal stories, news articles, and research reports emerged, that describe an elite sport environment where the personal boundaries of athletes are ignored and overstepped, sometimes culminating in prolonged periods of psychological,
physical, and sexual violence at the hands of coaches or peer athletes (e.g., Rulofs et al., 2022). Despite sport psychologists being crucial support staff for athletes and coaches, the topic of interpersonal violence has been underrepresented in sport psychology, leaving many sport psychologists and experts feeling inadequately trained in this area. However, sports clubs and associations require qualified consultants who can impart knowledge and competencies, e.g., to increase coaches’ knowledge, to
conduct workshops with children and adolescents on this subject, or to aid with expertise in unresolved cases. Furthermore, sport psychologists need to be equipped to navigate safeguarding processes, as athletes might confide in them. This workshop addresses the fundamental aspects of interpersonal violence by initially providing knowledge on prevalence, risk factors, preventive approaches, and possible intervention strategies. Participants engage interactively in group reflections, discussions, and experiential exercises, as well as drawing insights from, e.g., practical reports. The ultimate goal of this workshop is to shed light on the topic of interpersonal violence in elite sports environments from a sports psychologist’s perspective and to enhance practical skills in this realm.