Sport Psychology Interventions

Sport Psychology Interventions shows professionals how to help athletes get the most out of their sport experience and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Edited by Shane Murphy, former sport psychologist for the United States Olympic Committee, this practical guide explains how to assist athletes at all levels in facing the special challenges and unique problems that are common in today's sports world. Unlike texts that discuss psychological interventions aimed directly at improving athletic performance, Sport Psychology Interventions focuses on helping athletes enjoy their participation more and, as a result, perform better and achieve their goals by -managing their lives successfully, -growing and developing as individuals, and -experiencing sport as a positive learning process. This book is written by internationally recognized sport psychologists--experts who are familiar with the struggles and triumphs of athletes. Using real-life examples, these contributors address issues that are typically encountered by physicians, athletic trainers, psychologists, counselors, and health care professionals working with athletes. They use case studies extensively throughout the book to bring these issues to life. Part I presents a variety of intervention models. By studying each model in the context of its application to a particular kind of athlete, the contributors are able to address specific issues related to -child athletes, -competitive recreational athletes, -student athletes, -female athletes, -elite athletes, and -other sport groups. The book explains all of the prevalent intervention models in modern sport psychology: -Life development -Educational -Multisystemic -Family systems -Organizational -Developmental -Marital therapy -Cognitive-behavioral Each chapter begins with one or more case studies that show how each intervention applies to sport psychology and how that intervention is used. Part II examines issues commonly encountered by many helping professionals in the sport setting. Case studies illustrate how sport psychology can be used in counseling athletes who are experiencing special circumstances, including -injury, -alcohol and drug use, -eating disorders and weight management, -career transitions, and -overtraining and burnout.