From performance enhancement in sport psychology to a clinic for elite sports and mental health: Some reflections

Göran Kenttä, Johanna Belz

Publikation: Beitrag in Buch/Bericht/KonferenzbandKonferenzbeitrag - Abstract in KonferenzbandTransferBegutachtung

Abstract

Being an athlete or coach performing at international level is primarily about performance accomplishments, thus implying high demands and stress. Sport psychology (SP) has traditionally adopted a psychological skills training (PST) approach, based on the assumption that athletes are inherently mentally healthy (Bond, 2002). However, research indicates that elite athletes are at the same or greater risk of developing mental health problems as nonathletes (Brewer & Petrie, 2002; Schaal et al., 2011). In order to more comprehensively enhance psychological support for elite sports, a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) counseling education for SP practitioners was introduced in Sweden in 2009. As a result of this program, clinically-educated sport psychologists have the ability to not only treat, but also diagnose subclinical issues which negatively impact sport performance. Consequently, support and subclinical treatment have been integrated in SP interventions with elite athletes and coaches. The presenter will introduce a recent study investigating the professional development of the first graduates of this novel program. Benefits and challenges of receiving an education in both traditional SP and clinical counseling will be discussed. A systematic review of mental illness in athletes noted three possible assumptions regarding athletes and psychiatric disorders: (1) athletes may obtain high levels of athletic success despite a coexistent primary psychiatric disorder, (2) athletes may have chosen the athletic arena as means of coping with their disorder, and (3) the athletes’ psychiatric illness may be precipitated or worsened by the sport itself (Reardon & Factor, 2010). To shed light on these assumptions, in early 2015 the first clinical center specifically devoted to support mental wellbeing in elite sports was inaugurated in Stockholm, Sweden. This clinic is meant to evolve into a research-based learning center in clinical SP. Reflections about the early stages of this first-of-a-kind clinical center will be discussed during the presentation.
OriginalspracheEnglisch
TitelProceedings 14th European Congress of Sport Psychology. Theories and applications for performance, health and humanity
Herausgeber (Verlag)University of Bern
Erscheinungsdatum2015
Seiten179
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - 2015

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