Enhancing Athlete Engagement in Sport Psychology Interventions Using Motivational Interviewing: A Case Study

Abstract

30The clear reporting of the counseling approach (and theoretical underpinning) applied by sport 31 psychologists is often missing, with a tendency to focus on intervention content rather than 32 therapeutic processes and relationship building. Well defined psychotherapies such as Motivational 33Interviewing (MI) can help fill this void and provide an underpinning counseling approach (in an 34 athlete-centred manner) as a framework for delivering interventions such as psychological skills 35 training (PST). This article describes the role of MI as a framework upon which PST sport psychology 36 interventions can be mapped and delivered. The paper presents an athlete case study to explain the 37 role of MI at each phase of the interaction. Robust, well-defined applications of MI in sport require 38 further research although evidence from other psychological domains suggests that it can be 39 successfully blended into sporting contexts. 40

Practitioners’ Use of Motivational Interviewing in Sport: A Qualitative Enquiry

“…Practitioners highlighted aspects of the sport context which create challenges when working with athletes (Table 3). Several of these were in keeping with previously identified factors which may prevent athletes from taking up or engaging fully in sport psychology support (e.g., Mack et al, 2019;Martin, Zakrajsek, & Wrisberg, 2012). MI appears to have several valuable tenets to assist practitioners in navigating these challenges.…”

“…Sub-components of the MI technical skills (Table 1) are clearly linked with 'general counseling skills' for developing relationships with athletes identified by Longstaff and Gervis (2016). The MI four processes can provide practitioners with a conscious structure for everything from a single consultancy or coaching session to long-term, ongoing support, as has previously been suggested (Mack et al, 2019). It was also highlighted that practitioners are considering a period of maintenance following the action/intervention phase, which may constitute a fifth process (maintenance and managing relapse) as proposed by Breckon (2015), and it may benefit practitioners in sport to be cognizant of maintenance and lapse response when implementing psychological interventions.…”

“…One approach which seeks to maximise the working alliance, and is starting to receive attention in applied sport psychology (Mack, Breckon, Butt, & Maynard, 2017;Mack, Breckon, O'Halloran, & Butt, 2019;Turner et al, 2019, Wood, Mack, & Turner, 2020, is motivational interviewing (MI; Miller & Rollnick, 2013). MI is a counseling therapy which was founded on the principles of client-centred psychotherapy of Carl Rogers (1959), yet is different to traditional Rogerian counseling, in that it is intentionally directional (Markland, Ryan, Tobin, & Rollnick, 2005).…”

“…Mack and colleagues (2017) identified a limited use and understanding of core elements of MI by applied sport psychologists, but a significant role for MI in sport psychologists' work -including the use of MI as a stand-alone or an integration with other approaches. Subsequently, Mack et al (2019) shared a single session case study outlining the use of MI with one professional athlete. Therefore, the aims of the current study were to provide an in-depth exploration of which components of the MI approach underpin expert practitioners' work in sport, and to begin the process of understanding the application of these components, for example to enhance verbal communication, facilitate alliance formation and maintenance, Motivational Interviewing in Sport Contexts 5 increase athlete readiness for intervention, or in conjunction with other psychotherapeutic approaches.…”

A Framework of Single-Session Problem-Solving in Elite Sport: A Longitudinal, Multi-Study Investigation

“…Our findings, and the use of a single-session approach also have potential implications for how we as sport psychologists view therapeutic alliance and the client-practitioner relationship. Specifically, across sport and other counseling domains, therapeutic alliance (i.e., the client-psychologist relationship) has been evidenced as an essential component of intervention effectiveness in talking therapy (e.g., Baldwin et al, 2007;Andersen and Speed, 2010;Mack et al, 2019). Our framework, nor SST as a broad practice philosophy allows time for a traditional therapeutic alliance to develop.…”