Evaluating the athlete’s perception of the sport psychologist’s effectiveness: What should we be assessing?

Abstract

Abstract Objective: To extend understanding of factors pertinent to the effective practice of applied sport psychologists in order to influence good evaluation practice. Method: Semi-structured interviews with 30 elite United Kingdom (UK) athletes (mean age=22.7±8.2) from a range of sports about their experiences of sport psychology. The interview transcripts were inductively content analyzed and appropriate trustworthiness criteria were incorporated. Results: A number of themes emerged related to the characteristics (e.g. good communicator, knowledgeable about the sport) and activities (e.g. provides feedback, uses appropriate formats) of effective practitioners. These findings support and extend previous research on consultant effectiveness and highlight areas in which to develop current evaluation practice. Conclusion: This study has extended knowledge of consultant effectiveness, with specific relevance to elite UK athletes, and highlights the need for further development of evaluation instruments to assist practitioners in functionally evaluating the effectiveness of pertinent aspects of their practice.