During my final paper for my Applied Sport Psychology course at National University the following question aroused during my research: Can professional athletes benefit from using a Sport Psychology Consultant during injury rehabilitation? Long story short, yes! Allow me to discuss some of the methods Sport Psychology Consultants (and/or Sport Psychologists) will most likely use during an athletes rehabilitation phase. First, the Sport Psychology Consultant (SPC) will perform an interview to the injured athlete to see what he/she needs to work on during rehabilitation. Of course, the SPC will be focusing on enhancing mental performance and creating a more solid mental state in terms of self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-efficacy. From there the SPC will most likely hand the athlete a self-assessment report/questionnaire so that the SPC will have an even more solid base to start the work. Second, the SPC will begin to utilize Psychological Skills Training (PST) aka Mental Sk
For over seven years now, I have been a huge Major League Soccer (MLS) fan. My top two favorite teams has to be the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Seattle Sounders FC. There are many reasons for me liking these two Western Conference giants. For one, they are both cities that hold special places in my heart. Los Angeles, CA was my place of birth. And Seattle, WA is the home (and hopefully my future home) of my favorite sports teams. But, I was not raised in Los Angeles. For those of you that don't know, I was raised in a little place named Walla Walla, WA up until age fourteen. This is were my story and love of sports begins and returns. Growing up in Walla Walla meant that my teams to root for included the Seattle Seahawks, the Seattle SuperSonics (R.I.P.) and the Seattle Mariners. Although the Seattle Sounders (NASL, 1974) existed way before I was even born, it was not around during my time growing up in Washington state in the late 1980's, 1990's and early 2000's. Even