What happens when we work with a client whose implicit philosophy is different from ours? To what extent can we borrow from alternative paradigms while staying congruent? This case study illustrates how a trainee practitioner grappled with these questions through the process of supporting an elite female athlete in the run-up to a major international event. The athlete in question was returning from a significant injury and attempting to qualify for, and perform at, a major international event while knowing she would retire thereafter. This paper illustrates how the practitioner attempted to find congruence between their preferred approach (existential and client-led) and the client's preferences (skills training and practitioner-led). The intervention consisted of a combination of psychological skills training (imagery and goal setting) and conversations amounting to "existential encounters," with more emphasis on the latter as the event approached. Attention is given to the process of combining these approaches, as well as the practitioner's reflections on effectiveness and transference.
In this case study, we report on a sport psychology practitioner (SPP) conducting emergency psychological first aid for a large team of cheerleaders following a catastrophic injury. The injury occurred during the opening ceremonies of the Gay Games, a large-scale, quadrennial, multisport event in which a team of 122 cheerleaders performed for 4,000 spectators. With a week's worth of planned events, the cheerleaders needed to process the emotional shock and trauma of the accident while deciding if it was appropriate for the show to go on. The SPP presents the context of the case, interventions applied, outcomes of the interventions, and follow-up reflection and analysis. Implications of the SPP's intervention, as well as considerations for field-wide changes in sport psychology toward catastrophic injuries, are discussed as this case appears to be unique relative to the existing sport psychology literature and resources available.
Understanding the intricacies of masculinity in sports like football is crucial for examining women's history in sports and sport psychology. Female practitioners bring unique perspectives, challenging traditional norms and advocating for inclusivity. However, football, deeply rooted in hegemonic masculinity, continues to present significant challenges. This case study chronicles the experience of a female counseling and sport psychology trainee navigating gender dynamics in a high school football team. Employing standpoint theory, this account provides invaluable insight into the pervasive gender barriers that persist. The first author's integration into the team highlights the resilience required to succeed in such environments and underscores the importance of training programs that offer supervision and cultural humility exploration to prepare trainees. Examining this case provides insights into the history and ongoing challenges faced by women in sport psychology, emphasizing the need for systemic changes to foster greater access to opportunities.
Professional athletes face unique pressures on their well-being, particularly during elite competitions. In the context of professional rugby union, there is little research into players' mental health experiences, literacy, and help seeking. We implemented a social norms intervention that aimed to improve outcomes in these three areas in the 2022-23 season. The present case study presents a reflective account of the reality of implementing this project across Irish professional rugby union teams from the perspective of the key collaborators in the project, including staff working for Rugby Players Ireland, clinical staff who provide well-being services to players, and academic researchers. We identify several considerations for future applied research of this nature with professional athletes, including the importance of developing flexible and collaborative relationships between practitioners and academic researchers. We discuss measuring impact, logistical and planning difficulties, gaining entry and ensuring buy-in, and engaging athletes through effective delivery in professional sport. Balancing the (often idealized) demands of academic research with the practical realities of elite sport remains a challenge but one that, when navigated effectively, can help bridge the gap between research and applied practice.
It is humbling to be invited to contribute original work in a professional capacity, and I am always surprised when that invitation consists of a request to offer a written contribution. Aside from the requirements of graduate school, writing has not been a significant part of my career journey thus far, and rarely have I sought opportunities to participate in writing projects. However, I appreciate the importance of written works and understand the need for diverse voices and perspectives to be represented within them as they directly contribute to the existing literature and knowledge base of a field, help to shape current and ongoing professional discourse, and set the stage for future areas of inquiry and research. I am also intrigued by a challenge or opportunity that pushes me outside my comfort zone. So, it is with this spirit that I have embraced the invitation to author this article. In the words that follow, my intentions are to share a bit about my journey in the field of sport psychology, as both a licensed psychologist and a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC), and to expound on the concept of "do good work," as I conceptualize it and have often shared with others when asked about guidance that I would offer to those interested in working in sport and performance spaces. Please note that, in this article, I often refer to my experiences within the context of clinical and sport psychology. I appreciate that exercise and performance psychology are often discussed in tandem with sport psychology, so this distinction is not to minimize either of these areas but rather reflects an effort to frame my perspective and experiences as accurately as possible.
This case study presents the experiences of MSc Sport Psychology students delivering a psychologically informed behavior-change intervention within the context of a PhD research project to develop their applied practice skills. We aimed to provide an example of how higher education providers can create such an opportunity for master’s students to conduct individualized support sessions in a safe and structured environment, while preserving the autonomy needed for professional growth. The placement was situated within the HERizon project (conducted between 2021 and 2022), an online physical activity behavior-change intervention for adolescent girls. MSc students worked as “Activity Mentors” and provided weekly one-to-one support for participants via video calls. In this case study, we reflect on what we learned as both students and supervisors responsible for the delivery of HERizon, both immediately after completing the project and 3 years after the experience, and offer recommendations for future practice.
In this invited commentary, I reflect on the development of my approach to practice and the career-based transitions and opportunities that have shaped me as a professional over the last 30 years. I illustrate how I started and continue as a scientist–practitioner in the ways and means that I attempt to make a purposeful contribution to the profession of sport psychology. Drawing on historical changes and momentum shifts in the availability of professional knowledge, I reflect upon how “doing sport psychology” has evolved greatly over the last 3 decades. Sharing the journey of how my applied research has been a consistent and reciprocal influence on my practice, I try to make sense of how my experiences and environments have changed me for the better while recognizing that my core values, approach, and purpose remain largely intact.
This case study narratively explores a high school cross-country team in a small U.S. Midwestern town from 1992 to 1999. Results of this study revealed how the team coconstructed discovery and relational nonperformance narratives, with the head coach adopting aligning narrative practices (i.e., newsletters and team journals), which together socially constructed a team culture built on love (i.e., for running, for one’s own self, and for one another). This case study highlights what a discovery and relational narrative are, how they vary from the more dominant performance narrative, and the ways in which these narratives were drawn upon, used, and reproduced over time and ultimately changed the meanings around exercise and sport for the members of this team. The outcomes associated with these narrative practices, and the meanings embedded within them, led to a successful program, greater exercise enjoyment, the development of lifelong friendships and healthy habits, long-term exercise adherence, and a ripple effect of many of the young athletes on this team going on to become future exercise and/or sport leaders (i.e., fitness coaches, personal trainers, and sport coaches) as adults. The long-term implications and implementation recommendations are explored.
The aim of this study was to examine the talent development of a junior-elite team in a women’s football club in Norway. Using a holistic ecological approach, this study was designed as a single exemplary case study of a club in a preclub merge phase caused by a potential merger between a women-only club, FC Dragons and a men-only club, FC Spiders (both clubs are pseudonyms). The data collection included interviews, observations, and document analysis. We found the women’s junior-elite team, FC Dragons, to be characterized by similar characteristics as the men’s club, such as support of sporting goals by the wider environment, a focus on long-term development with little focus on results, training groups with supportive relationships, a coherent organizational culture, and integration of efforts. The women’s team environment was furthermore characterized by access to proximal role models (i.e., the senior players) and closer relationships between coaches of the club’s junior and senior teams. Based on the findings, we discuss how the context of women’s football impacted the talent development environment given to the players in the club.
In this article, we illustrate the service delivery with a 26-year-old, male, professional rugby union player, who over our two-and-a-half-year working relationship brought a multitude of different challenges to sessions. In the initial 6 months of the work presented in this case, the sport psychology practitioners (SPPs; both authors) codelivered sessions. We offer details of this codelivery period, as well as the role that the supervisor (second author) played in the latter 2 years of work. The SPPs worked from a pluralistic philosophy, which acknowledges that different clients need different things at different points in time. As such, we outline how the SPPs engaged in an ongoing process of metacommunication and shared decision making to establish the client’s goals and preferences and how this was renegotiated over time. We also depict the different approaches that the SPPs were required to take to meet the client’s needs, including referring to another practitioner when appropriate. We conclude by sharing several reflections on our service delivery and offer applied recommendations for SPPs who seek to use pluralistic approaches in their work.
This applied case study aims to explore the experience and multicultural reflections of a trainee sport and exercise psychologist working with a professional, multicultural esports team. We showcase the context of the case with a League of Legends team, consisting of five players, along with the intervention conducted. The case is supplemented by critical reflections on practice in a multicultural context from learning logs and applied practice notes with the T-R-E-E-S model for multicultural practice in sport psychology. This study delves into several critical aspects, namely: (a) recognizing multicultural elements, (b) customizing interventions to the dynamic esports environment, (c) scrutinizing how language and culture impact team cohesion, and (d) considering individual boundaries in personal-disclosure interventions. Finally, as one of the first case studies to reflect on multicultural practice in esports, we provide key recommendations and implications to promote multicultural work in research and applied practice in esports.
Collegiate athletes face pressures that can exacerbate mental health concerns, including suicidal thoughts and behaviors and selfinjurious thoughts and behaviors. This case study examines the mental health challenges of Amelia Grace (pseudonym), a Division I collegiate volleyball player, highlighting the complexities of addressing mental health in the high-pressure environment of collegiate sports. The study focuses on Amelia's mental health challenges, particularly her suicidal thoughts and behaviors and self-injurious thoughts and behaviors within the context of collegiate volleyball, and evaluates the effectiveness of a tailored intervention grounded in existential psychology and the interpersonal theory of suicide. The interpersonal theory of suicide served as the theoretical framework to examine Amelia's experiences navigating mental health concerns. The intervention strategy combined existential psychological support with cognitive-behavioral techniques, emphasizing the development of coping strategies and existential growth. Amelia's case illustrates significant mental health challenges compounded by the demands of collegiate volleyball and academic pressures. Notably, the intervention led to improvements in the athlete's coping skills, a reduction in suicidal thoughts and behaviors and self-injurious thoughts and behaviors, and enhanced overall well-being. The case also highlights the critical role of supportive environments and targeted mental health interventions in collegiate athletics. It emphasizes the need for comprehensive mental health support systems tailored to the challenges athletes face. Through integrating existential psychology with evidence-based practices, the case advocates for systemic changes in collegiate athletic departments to prioritize and enhance mental health.
The role of sport psychology practitioners in contributing to the drafting process of athletes in teams, by providing their input on athletes’ psychological makeup, has become a common practice. Similar to traditional sport, esport organizations also engage in drafting periods to identify the next talents. Yet, a paucity of literature exists examining practitioners’ experiences of operating during such trial periods in the esport context. In this case study, we outline our process of being involved as sport and exercise psychologists in training during a professional National Overwatch team draft period for the 2023 Overwatch World Cup. As a supplementary resource to help staff during the selection process, we created player psychological profiles by assessing their psychological qualities through formal observation. Following the trials, we established an after-care service to support released players to monitor their well-being. We discuss the various hurdles we experienced during the trial period as sport and exercise psychologists in training by sharing a series of reflections.
This case study reports a values-based intervention with an elite dual-career athlete over an intermittent 2-year time period. The longitudinal psychological support process (i.e., intake, needs analysis, case formulation, intervention, and evaluation) is reported, and practitioner reflections are provided at the end of the case study. The intervention focused on the client-led production of personal core values and the exploration of how these could inform the athlete’s behavior change and goal attainment in sport and other life areas. Monitoring and evaluation findings suggested effective integration of values within training and competition settings, based on the observation of client behaviors and qualitative feedback from the client and their coach. The case study seeks to emphasize the importance of practitioner adaptability in developing client-led, values-based interventions that aim to facilitate holistic athlete development.
Female college athletes struggle with mental health issues at rates similar to their nonathlete peers. Relationships with coaches and teammates can significantly impact mental health. An integrative therapeutic approach that combines cognitive behavioral therapy with relational-cultural theory can provide clinicians with a framework for addressing underlying relational and systemic issues to better meet the needs of female college athletes. A case illustration featuring a Division I female soccer player struggling with negative mental self-talk will demonstrate how to effectively integrate relational-cultural theory and cognitive behavioral therapy when working with female student athletes. This article will discuss the implications for coaches, athletes, parents, mental health providers, and sport psychology practitioners about the integration of relational-cultural theory and cognitive behavioral therapy to enhance relationships with female college athletes to improve their mental health.
Welcome to this special issue in Case Studies in Sport and Exercise Psychology, which focuses on the applied sport psychology practice landscape, within the world of esports. In this prologue, we aim to provide a contextual backdrop regarding the unprecedented growth of esports, elucidate the current status quo of sport psychology practice in the world of esports, and highlight the growing call for case studies to bridge the research–practice gap to better inform practitioners operating in esports. In this prologue, we also provide brief commentaries on the four case studies contained in this special issue, to give readers an insight on what to expect. Finally, in this special issue, we offer an epilogue that shares key reflections from the four case studies, as well as future research and practice opportunities in the exciting world of esports.
In this epilogue to the special issue, we provide a summary of four case studies in esports. Specifically, we draw attention to (1) interventions with teams and esports athletes, (2) coach support and development, and (3) practitioner development. We explore these areas in relation to the case studies presented in the special issue, providing a structured analysis and discussion of the experiences shared in these case studies and shedding light on how sport psychology is applied in esports. Lastly, we offer future research and practice opportunities for those intending to practice or currently practicing in the realm of esports.
This case study utilized the holistic ecological approach to talent development as a framework to examine the structure and influence of an elite League of Legends environment. We conducted semistructured interviews with five elite male players (Mage = 20.2, SDage = 2.95) and three elite coaches (Mage = 24.67, SDage = 3.21). In addition, observations were implemented in situ to gather important information about the daily life experiences of the esports players and coaches. Findings suggest that this environment’s organizational culture was significantly influenced by interactions within the microenvironment, leading to the development of healthy relationships between players and coaches, impacting development and performance. Given the findings, we offer several salient applied implications for practitioners in elite esports, notably, the importance of understanding a team’s organizational culture alongside working at a one-to-one level. Furthermore, practitioners can educate coaches in optimizing a learning environment and support them in mitigating the challenges of a volatile industry.
