The psychological wellbeing of athletes, in particular the concept of psychological distress, is receiving growing research attention. Irrational beliefs as proposed in Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) have been shown to be positively related to the psychological distress of athletes, but the mechanisms by which irrational beliefs predict psychological distress remain unclear. The role of maladaptive schema, as proposed in Schema Therapy (ST), in the relationship between irrational beliefs and psychological distress has not yet been studied, despite the conceptual similarities between REBT and ST. Design and methodParticipants were self-selected triathletes (n = 124), duathletes (n = 9), swimmers (n = 7), cyclists (n = 17) and runners (n = 57). A single timepoint cross-sectional study design was used to investigate simple mediation models using the PROCESS macro. ResultsResults revealed that maladaptive schema fully mediated the positive relationship between irrational beliefs and symptoms of anxiety, and depression. ConclusionsThese findings suggest that maladaptive schema is a potential mechanism through which irrational beliefs predict psychological distress. Results may help practitioners begin to understand how REBT and ST may be applied in tandem for the benefit of greater athlete psychological wellbeing.

Practitioners in sport and exercise psychology tasked with service provision in any environment can decide which framework(s) they draw on to inform their applied work. However, the similarities and differences between psychotherapeutic approaches are underrepresented in current literature. Therefore, this paper brings together practitioners from 4 dominant psychotherapeutic approaches to address a specific hypothetical case. Four different cognitive-behavioral approaches are outlined: rational emotive behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, schema therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy. Each practitioner outlines the particular approach and proceeds to address the case by covering assessment, intervention, and evaluation strategies that are specific to it. Similarities and differences across the approaches are discussed, and implications for practice are put forth. Finally, two other practitioners introduce motivational interviewing as an additional framework to foster the working alliance.

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