Elite athlete receptivity to sport psychology consulting in Ireland

Abstract

This study assessed the willingness of elite athletes from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to seek sport psychology consulting (SPC), their perceptions of the potential benefits of SPC to themselves or their team and how accessible they perceive SPC to be. A sample of elite and sub-elite athletes (n = 68) completed an online survey and a sub-sample (n = 7) also participated in a semi-structured interview. Results showed that athletes were willing to seek assistance from SPC for a wide range of topics such as building confidence, improving focus and dealing with injury, although a preference was displayed for topics more readily perceived as directly related to enhancing performance. All SPC topics explored were perceived to be of benefit, with a similar preference expressed for topics more readily associated with enhancing performance, for example, competing as well in competition as in practice, over dealing with personal issues or communication. Chi-square tests revealed athletes with highl...