When a sports psychologist with clinical training might be able to help

How can a Clinical Sports Psychologist help?

As one of the few sports psychologists who has also undergone training as a clinical psychologist, I've decided to write a bit about when it might be worthwhile considering a referral to a clinical sports psychologist.

• In brief, clinical psychologists have undergone a 3 year postgraduate doctorate which trains them to:
• - Work across the life-span (from young children to older adults - over 65-years of age)
  - Assess and formulate a client's difficulties (what caused them, what maintains them, and what should shift the problems)
  - Work with a wide range of client's and presenting problems
  - Apply a range of therapeutic approaches (e.g., cognitive-behavioural therapy, systemic therapy and psychodynamic therapy)

A clinical psychologist who works with athletes (sports people) is likely to be valuable:

1. - When the issue is a more complex one concerning the athletes relationship with others (e.g. partner, family, coach, teammate)
2. - When the issue concerns unhealthy eating patterns (restricting intake, binging, purging or other bulimic tendencies)
3. - When the anxiety or performance stress doesn't respond to usual stress management techniques, perhaps because it has more social judgement elements or some other more complex elements
4. - When the athlete is in a downward spiral following on from an injury or some other setback (mood drops, anger increases, unhelpful behaviour and attitudes develop etc)

As with other branches of psychology, clinical psychologists aren't all the same, working in the same way, with the same style and interventions. It is important, therefore, that referring professionals, athletes or others seeking help for an sportsperson, ascertain that the clinical sports psychologist has the expertise you seek. This will be based on the problem that help is being sought for, the age of the sportsperson, the type of sport. Then the initial contact and/or first session will help indicate whether there is a good fit between the sportsperson, their needs and the psychologist.

How do you access a clinical sports psychologist?

- In the UK: We are listed either via the British Psychological Society's Chartered Psychologist's Register http://www.bps.org.uk/e-services/find-a-psychologist/directory.cfm then choose Sp&Ex as the Specialist Term and any other narrowing terms like Geographical Area or Postcode or Surname. Unfortunately when you get the list of names, you will still have to click on each name to see if they have 'DClinPsych' (Doctorate in Clinical Psychology) listed as a qualification.

- In the USA: You will need to check with your state licensing board or perhaps you can search on the American Psychological Association site (www.apa.org)

Dr Victor Thompson

London-based Clinical Sports Psychologist

www.SportsPsychologist.com