Beyond the Game: Educating Youth Coaches in Sport Psychology and Psychological Skills Training

Abstract

This paper presents the development of a manualized program designed to train youth sport coaches to implement a psychological skills training (PST) program that enhances both athletic performance and mental health. Rooted in sport psychology and coaching expertise, this program introduces a novel approach to addressing youth mental health challenges through upstream intervention. With many young athletes facing mental health struggles and traditional efforts in schools and communities showing limited success, this program equips coaches to teach essential psychological skills such as goal setting, adaptive thinking, confidence, and emotional regulation. By integrating these skills into sports practices and presenting them as performance enhancement techniques, the author hypothesizes this approach will lead to higher levels of engagement and consistent use of these skills, which extend far beyond the playing surface. The project addresses the gap in structured, coach-led PST programs for youth athletes and provides an evidence-based framework to empower coaches to support both performance and mental health, contributing to a more holistic approach to athlete development