“Sport psychologists” and/or “Mental Performance Consultants (MPCs)” can do tremendous good when embedded directly into a sports organization. (In the U.S., “sport psychologist” implies sport specific training plus clinical licensure, whereas MPCs focus on performance not mental health, and may or may not be licensed.) Both can teach mind-body skills that facilitate optimal performance, provide a process to tap into one’s own inner-wisdom, help cultivate an environment conducive to well-being and performance, and support the development of effective communication skills on and off the court.
Get ready!
To some degree, athletes’ readiness must occur organically. Ideally, a delicate balance is struck between being intrusive and reminding athletes and coaches of resources, including MPC availability and observations of patterns. But every MPC can attest to moments when they were over-eager to help, and their eagerness was experienced by unready clients like that of a desperate girlfriend or boyfriend (which repels). Part of good consulting is sitting back, observing, and “playing it cool.” Organic readiness aside, there are some factors/maneuvers that consultants and their employers can leverage to help set the stage from early on…
Integrate early and often!
In onboarding an MPC, it’s key for leaders to welcome it with open arms… questions posed with athletes should be along the lines of “why wouldn’t we?” rather than “why would we?” or even “how else could we improve on this?” Hiring the MPC into the sport organization earlier rather than later can help with rapport building and with normalizing mental performance training as part of the package. Arguably in forming a new team, hiring the MPC should precede onboarding of athletes and other key personnel. In this manner, the consultant is never the “new guy” or the “guest,” but rather – they are a fixture. An embedded consultant may lose the gravitas that an outside consultant swooping in once in a while may benefit from, but opportunities for the MPC to be experienced as an authentic “normal” person are irreplaceable. Spontaneous conversations occur and formal and informal consulting ensues. More importantly, opportunities to observe casual interactions up close on the sidelines, between plays, can equip MPCs to constantly have a pulse on the vibe, team dynamics, and the factors that matter most. The package is not complete, however, without more formal interactions (e.g., regularly occurring workshops, and direct inclusion within communication debriefs). These allow athletes ongoing exposure to concepts and skills, while also facilitating a seamless referral process to the MPC.
Minimize stigma!
Barriers such as mental performance myths can prevent good training from occurring. Training your brain should be no different than training your body. And EVERYONE will tell you the mental part of the game is most important, so why is it so hard sometimes to get a “brain coach” integrated? Even if performance related, mental/emotional stuff feels vulnerable. Some sport cultures knowingly or unknowingly perpetuate an attitude that one must take care of the mental part of the game by oneself, or that working with sport psychology means one is “defective”. Yet, at the top levels of sport, we wouldn’t expect anyone to go without a strength and conditioning coach. Brain training is no different. Organizations can help erase stigma by taking these kinds of actions: 1) team leaders sharing their own positive experiences with sport psych; 2) publicly promoting the team’s proactive commitment to mental performance and/or mental health; and 3) giving the larger organization’s staff access to resources (even in a more limited fashion such as sounding board “chats” and providing referrals).
Pave the way!
Consultants should be given (and should earn) opportunities to build both top-down and bottom-up relationships. Sometimes these top-down and bottom-up relationships can be managed via two different consultants working in close partnership. Whether working with two consultants or one, giving them opportunities to maximize contextual awareness will improve their effectiveness. Simultaneously, trust is everything. Having consistent access to a private meeting space for the consultant is crucial, even if not all interactions are private. Athletes and leaders alike can capitalize on having an outlet to think things through, but both may need to be reminded that the content of others’ discussions must be kept private (often confidential, unless permission to share is granted). Working with multiple stakeholders, consultants may feel pulled to be a “hero,” but savvy consultants recognize the perils of the triangulation trap, resisting temptations to fix “villainous” behavior when someone else feels like a “victim.” While the “victim’s” feelings may be validated, the process should center on empowering people with communication skills to address problems directly with others. Working to eliminate triangles, consultants can help shape a sport organization’s culture such that it becomes safe to think outside the box, share innovative ideas, and collaboratively take calculated risks.
Cultivate a growth mindset!
Successful athletes (and other kinds of performers), that don’t peak then fade away, exhibit a “growth mindset.” As opposed to fixed mindset athletes who may worry too much about image, growth mindset athletes humbly accept every learning opportunity that comes their way, recognizing that failures are merely setbacks in the grand scheme; there is always more to learn. Sport organizations are wise to cultivate a growth mindset culture, where venturing forth with unconventional or innovative approaches to training and performance is treated with admiration and never disdain. We want to fail faster (i.e., take risks, fail, learn, and share your learning with the team). Anything to ultimately gain an edge over other teams. If it’s not already the norm for athletes, coaches, or management to meet with the MPC, collaboratively building a growth mindset culture can help pave the way.
Follow-through!
It may be tempting to always have athletes as comfortable as possible. At best, this approach may feel better in the short-run, but it won’t enhance performance over the long-run. Part of mental training is training to become comfortable with the uncomfortable. If athletes are about to have an uncomfortable conversation, it’s the perfect time to pull in the MPC, whether or not he/she observes or chooses to be directly involved in the conversation. Integrating mental training cannot be about checking a box. For instance, reading a good book or experiencing an inspirational speaker may expose athletes to important ideas, but good mental training is about a cohesive, consistent approach, incorporating follow-through and accountability (often private accountability). Just as you wouldn’t expect an athlete to optimize their physical training by hitting the gym once in a while with a guest super-star trainer, self-regulation and communication skills can’t be honed with an approach that is occasional or haphazard; they must be trained consistently.
In Summary…
Mental Performance Consultants can help sports organizations transition from good to great, and while athlete readiness to accept help is everything… MPCs and leaders can ensure successful integration by: 1) integrating mental performance early and often (formally and informally); 2) intentionally taking steps to minimize stigma; 3) creating opportunities for relationship building (while being mindful of trust/boundaries); 4) promoting a growth mindset culture; and 5) ensuring follow-through via sometimes uncomfortable conversations and consistency.