119 An Applied Sport Psychologist Viewpoint: How to Become an Effective One

Demystifying Mental Toughness

In today’s episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness, I chat with my colleague James Lau, where we discussed his journey to qualifying as a Sport Psychologist. We also considered lessons that he’d learned along the way and challenges that he had encountered in his training and now as an Applied Sport and Exercise Psychologist, in his private practice. Working in team sports and one of his passions, racquet sports we go on to describe the types of challenges we face as practitioners, as well as how we support athletes.

Key Learning Points:

• A Psychology degree helped give James a foundation to build on.
• A Master’s degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology allowed him to learn specific techniques and theories that can benefit his clients.
• Establishing and maintaining relationships with clients is critical as a Sport Psychologist.
• The Qualification in Sport and Exercise Psychology, Stage 2 helped him learn more about the role, he faced challenges, made mistakes and learned, developing his own Mental Toughness.
• Sport Psychologists can work with coaching staff to change the culture in a team setting.
• Psychological safety is important in team sports so that individuals can go out and fully express themselves.
• In racquet sports, often the biggest psychological challenge players have is dealing with big points (match point, break points).

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Useful Resources

Sports Psychology For Youth Athletes Podcasts

James Lau Blogs, Video's and Podcasts

Racquet Sport Blogs