Doing Sport Psychology

Rating:
Summary: "Doing Sport Psychology" Opens the Door to Sport Psych
Review: "It is the first book to accurately depict the complex and dynamic work of everyday sport psychology. . . The most impressive quality of this book is that it focuses on the process of sport psychology interventions," wrote Shane Murphy in the Afterword of this excellent text. This is a ground-breaking book that lets the reader in on sessions conducted by a variety of sport psychology practitioners. I found myself captivated by the discussions of professional and substantive issues raised by the twenty-two contributors and their editor. The chapters gave me ideas and caused me to reflect on my own work with clients. The attention given to the specific actions and choices we make with clients was intriguing. In a few instances, authors referred to the notion of "biblio-therapy," or giving a book to a client as part of the intervention. Doing Sport Psychology could be viewed as "biblio-supervision" or as an essential learning tool for developing practitioners. Remarks on the back cover state that this is the book that Andersen wishes he had when he was in graduate school, and I echo his sentiments and recommend this volume highly for graduate applied sport psychology courses. As Murphy suggested, it is somewhat surprising that our field has not had a book of this kind until now. It is a much welcomed addition to the literature. A great strength of the writing is that authors showed their human side, their mistakes, and vulnerabilities. For graduate students and new practitioners, this is a rich learning ground. Although the authors varied in the extent to which they revealed themselves, the overall work takes much of the mystery out of what sport psychologists do. Many of us got involved in sport psychology out of an interest in people and the processes they go through in sports. The sundry case studies give us a window into individuals' dynamics and the work being done. "Doing Sport Psychology is about what practitioners have found to be helpful out there on the playing fields, and it focuses more on the effectiveness side of the ongoing debate in treatment outcome research" (p. xv)

Rating:
Summary: "Doing Sport Psychology" Opens the Door to Sport Psych
Review: "It is the first book to accurately depict the complex and dynamic work of everyday sport psychology. . . The most impressive quality of this book is that it focuses on the process of sport psychology interventions," wrote Shane Murphy in the Afterword of this excellent text. This is a ground-breaking book that lets the reader in on sessions conducted by a variety of sport psychology practitioners. I found myself captivated by the discussions of professional and substantive issues raised by the twenty-two contributors and their editor. The chapters gave me ideas and caused me to reflect on my own work with clients. The attention given to the specific actions and choices we make with clients was intriguing. In a few instances, authors referred to the notion of "biblio-therapy," or giving a book to a client as part of the intervention. Doing Sport Psychology could be viewed as "biblio-supervision" or as an essential learning tool for developing practitioners. Remarks on the back cover state that this is the book that Andersen wishes he had when he was in graduate school, and I echo his sentiments and recommend this volume highly for graduate applied sport psychology courses. As Murphy suggested, it is somewhat surprising that our field has not had a book of this kind until now. It is a much welcomed addition to the literature. A great strength of the writing is that authors showed their human side, their mistakes, and vulnerabilities. For graduate students and new practitioners, this is a rich learning ground. Although the authors varied in the extent to which they revealed themselves, the overall work takes much of the mystery out of what sport psychologists do. Many of us got involved in sport psychology out of an interest in people and the processes they go through in sports. The sundry case studies give us a window into individuals' dynamics and the work being done. "Doing Sport Psychology is about what practitioners have found to be helpful out there on the playing fields, and it focuses more on the effectiveness side of the ongoing debate in treatment outcome research" (p. xv)

Rating:
Summary: Introduction to Sport Psychology Made Easy
Review: Doing Sport Psychology is edited by Mark B. Anderson who has worked with athletes for many years in both Australia and the United States. He is the first and current editor of the Professional Practice section of the international journal The Sport Psychologist. Hence he has a sound practical working knowledge of applied sport psychology. The authors of the book are well respected in the field of sport psychology and the book provides a fantastic opportunity for readers to sample their practical style rather than simply reading chapters on theory and principles. It is invaluable to read about what has and has not worked for other practitioners. The chapters provide learning experiences, which can only be of benefit to readers.

Doing Sport Psychology aimed to focus on the process of delivering sport psychology services to athletes and performers. It covers applied issues such as the planning of and note taking for initial and subsequent psychology sessions, the implementation of skills such as relaxation, self-talk, imagery, goal setting, and addresses problematic issues such as depression, suicide, eating disorders, injury, career transitions, and grief. Furthermore the book outlines supervision arrangements, internship experiences, and working as a sport psychologist at the Olympics. Additionally there are chapters on applying the skills learned in the sport psychology domain to coaching and performing artists.

In every chapter the authors identify the relevant and prevalent issues for the topic and provide insight into their experiences working with the issue. This process is complimented by the inclusion of dialogue from their own case studies. These case studies provide a reference that very few, if any, sport psychology texts provide. Anderson (2000) has used Doing Psychotherapy by Basch (1980) as model in developing this book and it has proven to be successful. The book is extremely easy to read. The language used is clear and concise. The authors write in a relaxed and natural way that makes reading enjoyable.

The main strength of this book is its practical nature. This is vital for psychology students who are trying to specialise in the sporting domain. Moreover it can provide refreshing advice for psychologists currently practicing in the field. The emphasis on dialogue promotes the importance of the working relationship between psychologist and coach, athlete or allied health practitioner.

Throughout the book Cognitive Behavioural Therapy was discussed and utilised, however it is important to point out that other therapeutic techniques such as a psychodynamic approach were advanced. The application of alternative approaches is often an overlooked concept from postgraduate training in sport psychology and thus their inclusion promotes a multidimensional field. Despite the clear importance of the dialogue and the brief mention of alternative therapeutic approaches, the quantity of dialogue may be excessive at times, especially as it does not provide examples of therapist-client interactions that are unique to the sporting domain. The dialogue would be enhanced by reducing the superfluous exchanges and demonstrating a variety of therapeutic approaches.

The differentiation between sport psychology and other branches of psychology was beneficial in clarifying the unique circumstances that sport psychologists can experience during their work. Despite the apparent differences the book still emphasises the importance of adhering to ethical standards. These words of advice are very useful for students who are undertaking their internship or externship placements. A particular aspect of the book which was simple but had practical relevance to sport psychology was the concept of asking yourself why a particular method or intervention was chosen. Furthermore self-monitoring was another concept that is a particularly helpful tool in the practice of sport psychology.

Doing Sport Psychology is aimed at students, supervisors, and practitioners of sport psychology. This book is valuable to students undertaking specialised education and training in sport psychology. In particular, the book is useful for those students who have limited practical experience. There are examples throughout of how service delivery is accomplished. Doing Sport Psychology is a valuable resource for each of the aforementioned target groups.

References Basch, M.F. (1980). Doing Psychotherapy. New York: Basic Books.

Rating:
Summary: Introduction to Sport Psychology Made Easy
Review: Doing Sport Psychology is edited by Mark B. Anderson who has worked with athletes for many years in both Australia and the United States. He is the first and current editor of the Professional Practice section of the international journal The Sport Psychologist. Hence he has a sound practical working knowledge of applied sport psychology. The authors of the book are well respected in the field of sport psychology and the book provides a fantastic opportunity for readers to sample their practical style rather than simply reading chapters on theory and principles. It is invaluable to read about what has and has not worked for other practitioners. The chapters provide learning experiences, which can only be of benefit to readers.

Doing Sport Psychology aimed to focus on the process of delivering sport psychology services to athletes and performers. It covers applied issues such as the planning of and note taking for initial and subsequent psychology sessions, the implementation of skills such as relaxation, self-talk, imagery, goal setting, and addresses problematic issues such as depression, suicide, eating disorders, injury, career transitions, and grief. Furthermore the book outlines supervision arrangements, internship experiences, and working as a sport psychologist at the Olympics. Additionally there are chapters on applying the skills learned in the sport psychology domain to coaching and performing artists.

In every chapter the authors identify the relevant and prevalent issues for the topic and provide insight into their experiences working with the issue. This process is complimented by the inclusion of dialogue from their own case studies. These case studies provide a reference that very few, if any, sport psychology texts provide. Anderson (2000) has used Doing Psychotherapy by Basch (1980) as model in developing this book and it has proven to be successful. The book is extremely easy to read. The language used is clear and concise. The authors write in a relaxed and natural way that makes reading enjoyable.

The main strength of this book is its practical nature. This is vital for psychology students who are trying to specialise in the sporting domain. Moreover it can provide refreshing advice for psychologists currently practicing in the field. The emphasis on dialogue promotes the importance of the working relationship between psychologist and coach, athlete or allied health practitioner.

Throughout the book Cognitive Behavioural Therapy was discussed and utilised, however it is important to point out that other therapeutic techniques such as a psychodynamic approach were advanced. The application of alternative approaches is often an overlooked concept from postgraduate training in sport psychology and thus their inclusion promotes a multidimensional field. Despite the clear importance of the dialogue and the brief mention of alternative therapeutic approaches, the quantity of dialogue may be excessive at times, especially as it does not provide examples of therapist-client interactions that are unique to the sporting domain. The dialogue would be enhanced by reducing the superfluous exchanges and demonstrating a variety of therapeutic approaches.

The differentiation between sport psychology and other branches of psychology was beneficial in clarifying the unique circumstances that sport psychologists can experience during their work. Despite the apparent differences the book still emphasises the importance of adhering to ethical standards. These words of advice are very useful for students who are undertaking their internship or externship placements. A particular aspect of the book which was simple but had practical relevance to sport psychology was the concept of asking yourself why a particular method or intervention was chosen. Furthermore self-monitoring was another concept that is a particularly helpful tool in the practice of sport psychology.

Doing Sport Psychology is aimed at students, supervisors, and practitioners of sport psychology. This book is valuable to students undertaking specialised education and training in sport psychology. In particular, the book is useful for those students who have limited practical experience. There are examples throughout of how service delivery is accomplished. Doing Sport Psychology is a valuable resource for each of the aforementioned target groups.

References Basch, M.F. (1980). Doing Psychotherapy. New York: Basic Books.