“Don’t Be Stupid, Stupid!” Cognitive-Behavioral Techniques to Reduce Irrational Beliefs and Enhance Focus in a Youth Tennis Player

This case reports the intervention approach the first author adopted while working with a youth tennis player. The athlete held irrational beliefs and was struggling to maintain emotional control. The neophyte sport psychology practitioner adopted a cognitive-behavioral approach to practice. The intervention focused on (a) using rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) to replace unhelpful beliefs about unforced errors with a new rational philosophy and (b) using a distraction-control plan to restructure the player’s thoughts and beliefs in relation to opponents’ perceived gamesmanship. Intervention effectiveness was evaluated through qualitative data from the athlete and his parents and the reflections of the practitioner. Feedback suggests that REBT and distraction-control plans can be effective in helping youth athletes manage their thought patterns and improve emotional control during competition. This case also demonstrates the importance of practitioners’ having a flexible and adaptable approach to practice—one that meets individual client needs

Stories of Critical Moments Contributing to the Development of Applied Sport Psychology Practitioners

Accepted author manuscript version reprinted, by permission, from The Sport Psychologist, 2020 (ahead of print). © Human Kinetics, Inc.This study explored the stories of critical moments experienced by applied sport psychology practitioners. The 13 recruited practitioners (eight male and five female) were in different stages of their development (trainee, neophyte, and experienced) and were asked to tell one story about a critical moment that significantly contributed to their development as applied practitioners. Narrative analysis was used to explore the stories of critical moments. Four distinct narrative structures were evident; Re-birth, Rags to Riches, Tragedy, and The Quest. There was one consistent narrative feature that supported these plots: critical moments contribute towards an alignment between a practitioner’s beliefs and behaviour, which supports the development of a congruent philosophy of practice and the environment they choose to work within. We recommend future research, such as the use of narrative analysis to explore alternative narrative structures and the investigation of successful and unsuccessful consultancy experiences

Personal qualities of effective Sport Psychologists: Coping with organisational demands in high performance sport

The purpose of the current study was to explore colleagues’ perspectives of the personal qualities of effective sport psychologists and how these qualities enable practitioners to address the organisational demands they face within their work. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with sport physicians (N = 6) and coaches (N = 7). Data analysis identified three main themes: understanding high performance sport environments and cultures, the wider organisational role in high performance sport, and working with support staff in high performance sport. This study provides insight into the wider organisational role of sport psychology in high performance sport and the personal qualities that are fundamental to effective service delivery in this environment. Suggestions are offered regarding how education and training could better prepare practitioners for addressing organisational demands within their role, by developing trainees’ awareness of their personal qualities and providing them with the opportunity to critically explore these qualities in the context of applied sport psychology practice

Thinking Aloud: Stress and coping in junior cricket batsman during challenge and threat states

The present study examined stress and coping of cricket batsmen during challenge and threat states using the Think-Aloud method. Ten male elite-level junior cricket batsmen took part in the study. A repeated measures design was implemented, with participants verbalizing while both in (a) a threat state and (b) a challenge state. Participants were required to score 36 runs in 30 balls during the threat condition and 15 runs in 30 balls during the challenge condition. Verbalizations were subsequently transcribed verbatim and analyzed for stressors, coping strategies, and any other reoccurring themes. A paired-samples t-test was conducted to examine differences in the number of verbalizations made for each theme between conditions. Ten secondary themes were grouped into four primary themes; these included (a) stressors, (b) problem-focused coping, (c) emotion-focused coping, and (d) gathering information. There were significant differences( p≤0.05) between stressor verbalizations, with significantly more verbalizations made by participants during a threat state. No significant differences were found between any other themes. Thus, during a threat state, participants reported significantly more stressor verbalizations compared to a challenge state, while there were no significant differences in coping strategies reported (p>0.05). This finding offers a potential explanation for why athletic performance diminishes when in a threat state, as athletes then experience a greater number of stressors but do not report engaging in more coping strategies

Advice for Athletes During Covid-19

This document aims to provide psychological support and guidance for athletes during the current Covid-19 pandemic. Since 23 March, lockdown in the United Kingdom has meant extreme changes and athletes have been forced to significantly alter their training and competition routines. These changes can lead to feelings of anxiety, frustration, and anger for some, and this guidance aims to help alleviate these emotions. The Covid-19 lockdown can be called a non-normative transition* (c.f.2) in sport, this means that it was unexpected and could not be prepared for. This can make it more difficult to manage, and have negative consequences for mental health and psychological wellbeing. This Covid-19 transition will be overwhelming for some – posing many questions around the uncertainty of how long the lockdown period will last, the effect of lockdown on long-term goals for training and competition, and further doubts about what the transition process of emerging from lockdown will look like. We will offer psychological advice to help you deal effectively with the Covid-19 transition, and to place you in a better position to deal with the psychological and behavioural challenges the current situation poses, regardless of when, and if, you return to sport. Three key priorities have been identified which have been shown to be critical for managing transitions, such as the Covid-19 transition

State space forecasting and noise reduction

We discuss the effects of nonlinearity and noise on the problem of finding states and dynamics. We point out problems which arise in the construction of state space models for scalar time series. We describe solutions for the case when error due to noise dominates parameter estimation error and outline a framework for the general case

Development of Multifunctional Overhauser-enhanced Magnetic Rresonance Imaging for Concurrent in Vivo Mapping of Tumor Interstitial Oxygenation, Acidosis and Inorganic Phosphate Concentration

Tumor oxygenation (pO2), acidosis (pH) and interstitial inorganic phosphate concentration (Pi) are important parameters of the malignant behavior of cancer. A noninvasive procedure that enables visualization of these parameters may provide unique information about mechanisms of tumor pathophysiology and provide clues to new treatment targets. In this research, we present a multiparametric imaging method allowing for concurrent mapping of pH, spin probe concentration, pO2, and Pi using a single contrast agent and Overhauser-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging technique. The developed approach was applied to concurrent multifunctional imaging in phantom samples and in vivo in a mouse model of breast cancer. Tumor tissues showed higher heterogeneity of the distributions of the parameters compared with normal mammary gland and demonstrated the areas of significant acidosis, hypoxia, and elevated Pi content

Many Roads Can Lead to Rome – Supervisors perspectives on successful supervision and the challenges.

The article focuses directly on the stories of supervision and supervision in practice at the micro level by drawing on the views and experiences of three supervisors, two (Brian and Jonathan) with numerous years supervisory experience and one newly qualified supervisor (Matt). Brian and Jon, supervise their QSEP candidates through a combined group and individual supervisory programme in contrast, Matt adopts an individual approach with all his supervisees. In the remainder of this article, these three supervisors present their thoughts and personal experiences on three core areas, developing the supervisory relationship, challenges to supervision and the concept of continued development as a supervisor

Supporting Youth Athletes During Covid-19

This document aims to provide psychological guidance for parents and guardians of youth athletes during the current Covid-19 pandemic. Since lockdown (on 23 March 2020), and the subsequent emergence from lockdown in the United Kingdom (UK), youth athletes have been forced to significantly change their training, with the cancellation of formal training sessions and reintegration with social distancing. Throughout this time competitive sport was suspended, and in this transition phase, it is still unclear when all competitions will commence. These changes for some can lead to feelings of anxiety, frustration, and uncertainty. We offer psychological guidance to help parents and guardians maintain their own wellbeing, and support their children in their return to competitive sport. Three key priorities have been identified as critical for supporting youth athletes in managing the Covid-19 transition. These include: 1. Self-management for parents and guardians 2. Navigating uncertainty 3. Motivation and goal settin