SBU SPORT PSYCHOLOGY

SERVICES2015 AND BEYOND

Jack Bowman Ph.D Clinical Sport Psychologist

Goal of Sport Psychology Program

Instill life long skills thatpromote physical, emotional, and

moral development in our athletes

Kangaroo hide Skates

SB Graduate Faculty Member since 1981Psychology of Sport and Performance

Five Appointments as Sport Psychology ConsultantTo SB Athletic Department

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry - SB University Hospital for 15 years

Member of the first SBUH Sports Medicine Team

Half the lies they are telling about me Aren’t True

SBU Sport Psychology Services

• Student Athletes• Coaches• Staff

SBU Sport Psychology Services

• Individual counseling sessions• Group counseling sessions• Sport performance workshops• Staff training

Performing at your Best Under Pressure

ENERGIZED, FOCUSED, and CONFIDENT Harness Positive Energy by transforming Pre-Event Anxiety into

Pre-Event Empowerment Create a Mental Plan to sharpen their Focus and strengthen

their ability to Re-Focus when facing adversity Build Confidence by drawing from the WELL of their best

performances

ARMY vs NAVY

On the fields of friendly strifeare born the seeds of valor

General Douglas McArthur

Psychological Skills are transferable across situations

The more critical the momentThe more important it is to

WIN the BATTLEof

FOCUS vs DISTRACTION

TRAIN THE MIND – PROTECT THE BODY

Psychological Antecedents to Athletic Injury and the role of

Mental Training in Prevention

John J. Bowman, Ph.D. Mind Plus Muscle Institute

Injury Prevention Studies

• Over 25 million people are injured each year in sport and exercise.

• Physical factors are the primary causes of injury, but psychological factors also contribute significantly.

• Finch (2010) found 11% of studies on sport injury prevention considered psychological factors.

Overview

• Psychological research in injury prevention• How injuries happen—psychological

antecedents• Explaining the stress–injury relationship• Mental Training with “At Risk” athletes• Effective components of Mental Training• Athletic injury prevention plan

Risk Factors and Interventions

• Early studies identify risk profiles

• Later studies demonstrate effective interventions

How Injuries Happen: Psychological Antecedents

Profile #1: Major life stress Low levels of social support Poor coping skills

Profile:2 Low self esteem Pessimistic Low hardiness High trait anxiety

The most frequently mentioned causal mechanisms between stress and injury are attentional deficits and increased arousal

produced by stress.

Andersen & Williams, 1988

Explaining the Stress–Injury Relationship

• Attentional disruption: Stress disrupts an athlete’s attention by reducing peripheral attention and causing distraction and task-irrelevant thoughts.

• Increased muscle tension: High stress can cause muscle tension and coordination interference as well as generalized fatigue, muscle inefficiency, reduced flexibility, and motor coordination problems.

Injury Prevention in SwedenHelping Soccer Players at Risk (2005)

• Pool of 132 male and 103 female players from 12 elite teams

• Screening – Sport Anxiety Scale, Life Event Scale and Athletic Coping Skills Intervention

• 32 high injury risk players identified• Randomly assigned to treatment and control

groups

Helping Soccer Players at Risk :Intervention

• 6 to 8 sessions over a 19 week season• Training in 6 Mental Skills

Goal SettingSomatic & Cognitive RelaxationStress ManagementSelf Confidence TrainingIdentifying Critical IncidentsFocusing Skills

Helping Soccer Players at Risk :Results

• 10 of 13 players in Treatment Group were injury free

• 13 of 16 players in Control Group incurred injury

• Results were statistically significant

Athletic Injury Prevention Plan

• Encourage Athletes to focus on what they are doing WELL to build Confidence and reduce Anxiety

• Identify athletes with high risk profiles and refer for counseling

• Conduct Mental Training with teams to improve performance and reduce training and competitive stress

My Well

Awesome Performance Great Practice

From______ To______

Feeling Happy Feeling Confident/Determined

Good Rest & Nutrition

“The ultimate value of research dealing with psychological risk factors is the

potential for using knowledge to reduce the tragedy and expense caused by

avoidable injuries.”

J.M. Williams (2001)

Take Aways

• Be mindful of the additional psychological tools athletes will have in their skill set

• Referral criterion for Individual Counseling: Poor Compliance Roadblocks Withdrawal• All referrals and scheduling go through Elizabeth Zanolli

you.stonybrook.edu/sport psych