fREQUENTLY ASKEd questions (FAQ's)
Would I benefit from psychological skills training?
As an athlete, ask yourself each of the following questions and answer with YES or NO:
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Personally, have I ever:
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lacked the desire or motivation to train in the off-season?
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had my mind wander while I was on the bench during a game?
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became unsure of my ability?
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had difficulties balancing school and sport commitments?
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thought about quitting my sport?
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felt that my time spent on video games was excessive and hindered my sport or school performance?
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walked off a playing field in disgust after losing a game I believed I should have won?
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chocked at a critical point in competition?
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felt depressed because I wasn’t recovering from an injury quickly enough?
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not been able to pump myself up for a practice or game?
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set a goal but didn’t come close to reaching it?
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had a feeling of “butterflies” in my stomach before an important game?
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made a mistake on the field and thought so much about it that I made another mistake shortly thereafter?
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lost control of my temper?
If you answered “YES” to any of these questions, you need and could benefit from psychological skills training.
Is psychological skills training important for my sport?
As an athlete, ask yourself each of the following 2 questions:
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How important are the state of mind and psychological skills in achieving success in my sport?
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Absolutely essential
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Very important
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Moderately important
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Slightly important
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Not important
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As an athlete, how much of my practice time is currently spent on developing mental skills?
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All or most of my time
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Half of my time or slightly more
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Some of my time
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Little of my time
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None of my time
If there is a disparity in the direction of the mental side of your sport being very important or essential, yet little or no time is being spent specifically practicing these mental aspects, you need and could benefit from psychological skills training program.
Remember, all athletes practice physical skills, they practice game strategy, and they do weight training and conditioning drills. But, to this point, only a few athletes systematically do or have a program to develop their psychological skills, and even fewer will know how to do this well. Thus, when it is done systematically and consistently, psychological skills training is the area in which an athlete can gain “the edge” as it has the potential to help the athlete “get ahead” and separate themselves from the "rest of the pack" (make the team vs not make the team, play vs don't play, get a scholarship/contract vs. don't get one).
Can psychological skills training help me improve my performance?
By developing and perfecting relevant psychological skills, you can improve your sport performance on many levels, specifically:
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you can perform BETTER (that is, run faster, shoot more accurately, throw further),
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you can perform more CONSISTENTLY (that is, have less variation in your performance, being able to execute a skill successfully more often, not have performances that go up and down from game to game or play to play),
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you can perform in CLUTCH SITUATIONS or WHEN IT MATTERS MOST (that is, it is that superior nerve and ability to be at your best when your best is needed),
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you can learn about probabilities and what it takes to MAKE IT AS A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE (that is, learning how to deal with failure and setbacks and how to define sport success in a way that is significant to you and consistent with your core beliefs and values, how to plan meaningful life pursuits “next to” or “along” and “after” sport and utilise skills learned in sport to other aspects of life).
In addition to performance, what else can psychological skills training help me with?
In addition to performance, psychological skills training can help athletes with the following aspects: unrealistic expectations, excessive pressure from self/coach/parent, handling pressure and managing anxiety, lacking/losing/low confidence, concentration and focus problems, coping with injury, burnout and overtraining, low intrinsic motivation, low commitment, communication and conflict resolution, having self-doubts, low self-esteem, low satisfaction with sport, low competitiveness, low perceived ability, aggression in sport, maladaptive perfectionism, career progression, and more.
Some of the techniques and methods that may be used are: goal setting, thought control, visualization (mental imagery), self-talk, breath control, progressive muscle relaxation, stress inoculation, attentional control, competition plans, mental preparation routines, emotional and psychological states management, performance and mood profiling, cognitive restructuring, and more.
Do I have to be an elite or a professional athlete to benefit from psychological skills training?
Misunderstandings about sport psychology are common as some mistakenly believe that psychological training strategies are only applicable to elite athletes or that these techniques can fine tune the performance of the already highly skilled. Psychological skills training is appropriate and beneficial for variety of people of different age and skill level including young, developing, professional, and masters athletes. For example, if young developing athletes are taught effective goal setting strategies, how to increase self-confidence, how to visualise success, and how to think and behave constructively, we can reasonably expect their performance, enjoyment, and personal development to progress faster than of those athletes who do not engage in such psychological skills training. At the same time, special adjustments would be necessary based on specific characteristics of an athlete. For example, very young athletes would likely need adjustments such as fewer goals, shorter training sessions, simpler verbal instruction, and adjusting the exercises into games; as such these athletes can still benefit from psychological skills training providing they are interested in receiving it or see the potential value in it.
Benefiting from systematic and consistent psychological skills training is not limited to professional athletes only. As athletes get better and progress into highest levels of competition, physical differences tend to become smaller while mental aspects become what separates the exceptional from the very good. In summary, while elite athletes often utilise psychological skills training to gain a competitive edge, athletes of all levels of skill and age can benefit from integrating psychological skills training program into their training routine to enhance performance, well-being, and enjoyment of their sport. To explore a collection of quotes from well-known athletes who believe in and have derived benefits from psychological skills training, click HERE.
Should I wait until I have already “made it” to address my psychological skills?
Definitely not. In the realm of sports, mastering psychological skills and mental preparation is crucial, especially for adolescent or teenage athletes who choose to specialize in a single sport. Young athletes dedicated to their sport are consistently engaged mentally, whether they're on or off the field/court, on the bench, in the locker room, or weight room. It becomes essential for them to develop foundational psychological skills such as managing confidence, directing and controlling thoughts, regulating emotions, handling mistakes and setbacks, handling the focus and discipline of training, and handling the pressure and stress of competition. These fundamentals transform into psychological skills through the development of mental mechanics which can be refined through systematic and consistent practice. Therefore, it's essential for aspiring teenage athletes to understand that the mind is an essential piece of the sport performance puzzle and that mental training is not meant to replace physical training and talent but complement them. In addition, the mental skills, attitudes and life lessons that teenage athletes acquire from their sport—such as motivation, confidence, focus, perseverance, resilience, and the ability to handle pressure—will benefit them greatly not just in their sport, but also in all aspects of their lives as they transition into adulthood. Therefore, teenage athletes should see psychological skills as something that must be developed and refined from a young age.
If I don’t have any mental problems, can I benefit from psychological skills training too?
Another misconception is that some people mistakenly believe that psychological skills training is only for problem athletes who have mental or clinical problems (for example, personality disorders, clinical anxiety or depression, psychopathology). Even though a very small percentage of athletes have or develop such issues, those specific issues are best dealt by psychologists that have specific expertise and training in other subfields such as clinical psychology or counselling psychology. Nevertheless, psychological skills training can help any athlete (including those that have mental or clinical problems) and most athletes’ psychological needs for sport can be addressed by sport psychologists.
Who should conduct the psychological skills program?
Ideally, a psychological skills training program should be planned, implemented, and supervised by a registered and experienced sport psychologist. The sport psychologist has the advantage of having more extensive specialised training and experience than a coach, unlicensed or unregistered sport psychologist claiming to offer mental skills services for athletes, student trainee, or an athlete themselves. The sport psychologist is generally also perceived as neutral and unbiased person. For example, an athlete might have a difficulty revealing very personal information to the coach but not to the sport psychologist (since a sport psychologist doesn’t have a say in matters such as who makes the team, playing time of an athlete, etc.). On the other hand, some athletes don’t have access to the sport psychologist or may consider such services as costly. Alternatively, some coaches may be interested or in a position to administer psychological interventions over the course of the season. Advantages of the coach doing this are that the coach sees athletes daily, knows the sport, and does not incur extra cost to the athlete. On the other hand, coach will likely have incomplete knowledge of psychological skills, may not have time, and may not be seen as neutral and unbiased person to go to with a problem. A student trainee or an athlete themselves may have some sport psychology knowledge/experience, may be supervised by a registered sport psychologist, may be more likely to relate, and less costly. However, they may be difficult to find, may not be mature, may not be able to commit long term. Therefore, there are trade-offs and one must answer: “Is something better than nothing?” or “Is a little knowledge a dangerous thing?”.
What are the service fees?
Our professional service fees are derived based on the APS National Schedule of Recommended Fees and will vary depending on the complexity, nature, expertise required, urgency of the matter, location and proximity, length and number of sessions booked or required, and availability. We offer various single session and multiple session options which can be viewed on our SERVICES section. Additionally, some sessions may be eligible for a Medicare rebate or a private health insurance rebate.
what geographical AREAS DO YOU SERVICE?
Our office is located at Unit 3/166 Brighton Rd, Scarborough, WA 6019. We prioritise servicing clients in Perth Metro area extending along the coast from Yenchep in the north to Rockingham in the south, and to Midland and Armandale in the east. If you are located outside this area and are considering a sport psychology session with Dr Nick Medic, please inquire or send us a message and we will do our best to accommodate you.
