Psychological skills interventions in sport and exercise psychology

The purpose of this chapter is to explore the nature and function of psychological interventions intended to facilitate the attainment of desired outcomes in sport and exercise contexts. In doing so, this chapter will exemplify three approaches to consultancy and an example of an intervention typifying each approach. This will include behaviourist, cognitive and humanistic approaches. The respective interventions presented will be feedback (behaviourist), self-talk (cognitive) and performance profiling (humanistic). Following an exploration of intervention approaches, key practitioner issues will then be addressed. These include stages of competency development, ethical issues and the value of reflective practice. Throughout this chapter, readers are asked to reflect on their own experiences with reference to the material presented.