TY - JOUR
T1 - Enhancing wellbeing, long-term development, and performance in youth sport
T2 - Insights from experienced applied sport psychologists working with young athletes in the United Kingdom
AU - Thrower, Sam N.
AU - Barker, Jamie B.
AU - Bruton, Adam M.
AU - Coffee, Pete
AU - Cumming, Jennifer
AU - Harwood, Chris G.
AU - Howells, Karen
AU - Knight, Camilla J.
AU - McCarthy, Paul J.
AU - Mellalieu, Stephen D.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2023/10/31
Y1 - 2023/10/31
N2 - Although applied sport psychologists are supporting young athletes drawing on experiential evidence of what works, there is a lack of understanding regarding how to effectively help young athletes enhance their wellbeing, long-term development, and performance. The aim of the current study was to gain insights into the consultancy process from accredited applied sport psychologists working with young athletes (5–18 years) in the United Kingdom, to inform the training and development of practitioners. An Interpretive Descriptive (ID) design was used to generate grounded knowledge relevant to applied practice contexts. The current study was conducted by a British Psychological Society (BPS), Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology (DSEP), research working group and consisted of two phases: First, working group members (n = 6) participated in two separate focus groups. Second, in-depth interviews were conducted with UK-based sport psychology practitioners (n = 9) who had extensive knowledge and experience of working with young athletes. Reflexive thematic analysis generated six higher order themes: (a) Clear intentions, motives, and boundaries; (b) flexible and adaptable theoretical approaches; (c) seeking and securing connections; (d) multiple perspectives matter; (e) indirect interventions maximize impact; and (f) adaptation and integration determine Psychological Skills Training (PST) effectiveness. The current study offers unique and detailed insights regarding the consultancy process when working with young athletes. Such insights are crucial for applied sport psychologists to promote evidence-informed developmentally appropriate practice. Lay Summary: Experienced applied sport psychologists in the UK demonstrated clear motives for working with young athletes, used flexible and adaptable consultancy approaches, secured connections, and assessed young athletes from multiple perspectives. Indirect interventions (delivered through coaches, parents, etc.) were considered the most impactful, but adaptation and integration determined PST effectiveness.
AB - Although applied sport psychologists are supporting young athletes drawing on experiential evidence of what works, there is a lack of understanding regarding how to effectively help young athletes enhance their wellbeing, long-term development, and performance. The aim of the current study was to gain insights into the consultancy process from accredited applied sport psychologists working with young athletes (5–18 years) in the United Kingdom, to inform the training and development of practitioners. An Interpretive Descriptive (ID) design was used to generate grounded knowledge relevant to applied practice contexts. The current study was conducted by a British Psychological Society (BPS), Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology (DSEP), research working group and consisted of two phases: First, working group members (n = 6) participated in two separate focus groups. Second, in-depth interviews were conducted with UK-based sport psychology practitioners (n = 9) who had extensive knowledge and experience of working with young athletes. Reflexive thematic analysis generated six higher order themes: (a) Clear intentions, motives, and boundaries; (b) flexible and adaptable theoretical approaches; (c) seeking and securing connections; (d) multiple perspectives matter; (e) indirect interventions maximize impact; and (f) adaptation and integration determine Psychological Skills Training (PST) effectiveness. The current study offers unique and detailed insights regarding the consultancy process when working with young athletes. Such insights are crucial for applied sport psychologists to promote evidence-informed developmentally appropriate practice. Lay Summary: Experienced applied sport psychologists in the UK demonstrated clear motives for working with young athletes, used flexible and adaptable consultancy approaches, secured connections, and assessed young athletes from multiple perspectives. Indirect interventions (delivered through coaches, parents, etc.) were considered the most impactful, but adaptation and integration determined PST effectiveness.
KW - youth sport
KW - young athlete
KW - sport development
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85175523157&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/10413200.2023.2274464
DO - 10.1080/10413200.2023.2274464
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85175523157
SN - 1041-3200
JO - Journal of Applied Sport Psychology
JF - Journal of Applied Sport Psychology
ER -