NCAA Division-I Student-Athletes’ Receptivity to Mental Skills Training by Sport Psychology Consultants

Abstract

In the current study NCAA Division I student-athletes (n = 2,440) completed a Web-based survey assessing their willingness to seek mental skills training, perceptions of the potential benefits of mental training for their team, and support of possible roles for a sport psychology consultant at their institution. Multiple chi-square tests revealed significant (p < .001) dependence of respondents’ ratings on gender, sport type (individual vs. team), prior experience with a sport psychology consultant, and perceived effectiveness of prior experience (low, moderate, high). Generally, females were more receptive than males, individual and team sport athletes were interested in different types of mental skills, athletes with prior consulting experience were more open than those with none, and athletes with highly effective prior experience were more receptive than those with less effective experience. These findings extend previous research examining collegiate student-athletes’ attitudes toward sport psychology consulting and provide several important insights for consultants conducting mental skills training for NCAA Division I level athletes.

Student-Athletes’ Perceptions of Mental Illness and Attitudes Toward Help-Seeking

“…Results based on over 200 athlete subjects show that stigma toward mental illness negatively correlates with an athlete's willingness to consult with a sport psychologist. Wrisberg, Simpson, Loberg, Withycombe, and Reed (2009) gave a survey to over 2,000 student-athletes examining their openness to consultation from a sport psychologist to improve mental training. The primary findings were that gender, sport type (team sport vs. individual), and prior contact with a sport psychologist were all significantly related to results on the survey.…”

NCAA Athletic Administrators’ Preferred Characteristics for Sport Psychology Positions: A Consumer Market Analysis

“…Furthermore, previous experience with sport psychology has been shown to increase athlete, coach, and administrator receptivity and attitudes toward sport psychology (Martin, 2005;Martin, Zakrajsek, & Wrisberg, 2012;Michel & Etzel, 2013;Wrisberg et al, 2009;Zakrajsek, Martin, & Zizzi, 2011). Positive experiences, frequency (more than five meetings with a SPP), and consultant effectiveness may mediate the relationship between sport psychology services and positive perceptions and willingness to seek sport psychology (Wrisberg, Loberg, Simpson, Withycombe, & Reed, 2010).…”

Professional Tennis on the ATP Tour: A Case Study of Mental Skills Support

“…Although the participant had received some limited sport psychology support some years earlier, his commitment to mental skills practice and training had lost momentum since joining the ATP tour. This stage explored the concept of mental toughness in elite sport and the perceptions of sport psychology known to be held by particular athletic groups (e.g., Loehr, 1990;Pain & Harwood, 2004;Wrisberg, Simpson, Loberg, Withycombe, & Reed, 2009). By the end of this stage, the participant had acknowledged the level of commitment and typical time frame associated with the modification of established cognitive habits, had established a rapport with the sport psychologist, and had agreed a preferred method of delivery (Hill, 2001;Fifer, Henschen, Gould, & Rivazza, 2008).…”