About Ability Sport & Performance Psychology

---

Athletes from all areas of sport come to psychologists to help them with a range of things including issues such as burnout, performance and injury management.

As psychologists, we help with issues such as performance enhancement and mental skill development, anxiety and stress management, mental focus, team building and leadership, health and wellness, communication and conflict resolution, and more.

We’re also engaged to analyse videos of performances to identify underlying issues, and can help with career and performance transitions. For example, we help athletes cope with grief and loss after retirement from their high profile sports careers.

During a career or season, sports psychology plays an important role in fortifying a team's existing resources and capacity and brings the principles of psychology to the performance landscape. Ultimately, by seeing performance through a lens of mind-body connection we work with an individual and/or team to improve their outcomes.

 At Ability Sport & Performance Psychology, we started with a simple idea: to make it easier for athletes to access the information they need to succeed. Since then, we have grown into a trusted source for high-quality sports education that uses the psychology of human behaviour, sport and performance to support the individuals and teams we work with. 

Through the development of personalised training, we work with both individuals and clubs to fortify their knowledge and performance based on their individual goals, and work with them towards improved performance. We offer both group training and individual consultation (with coaches and players) to meet the individual needs and preferences of the client or club. Available online or face to face across Australia. 

Our team of experienced health professionals are dedicated to helping you achieve your goals. We step beyond routine services such as coaching and consultation through bringing the evidence-base of psychological practice and intervention to the team or individual we are working alongside. Every component of our service is based on you. We assess and formulate your individuals needs to bring these together with the psychological principles of mind, body and performance. In doing so, we support you to build your knowledge and confidence, your capacity to utilise your skills and resources, and ultimately, to increase your opportunities to reach your potential.

Contemporary sports psychology is a diverse field and there are a number of different topics that are of special interest to psychologists. However here are a few areas of sports psychology and how they are utilised:

Attentional focus involves the ability to tune out distractions (such as a crowd of screaming fans) and focus on the task at hand. This allows athletes to manage their mental focus, even in the face of other things that are vying for their attention. 

Mental toughness has become an area of increasing interest in sports psychology. The term refers to the psychological characteristics that are important for an athlete to reach optimal performance. Among these characteristics are having an unshakeable belief in one's self and ability to bounce back from setbacks, and a desire to succeed. Reacting to situations positively, remaining calm under pressure, and retaining control are a few others that contribute to mental toughness.

Setting a goal, then visualising each step needed to reach that goal can help mentally prepare the athlete for training or competition. Visualisation involves creating a mental image of what you "intend" to happen. Athletes can use this skill to envision the outcome they are pursuing. 

We work with athletes and coaches to improve performance by increasing motivation, both intrinsic and extrinsic. Extrinsic motivators are external rewards such as trophies, money, medals, or social recognition. Intrinsic motivators arise from within, such as a personal desire to win or the sense of pride that comes from performing a skill. Team building is also an important topic in this field. Within this, a psychologist can work with coaches and athletes to help develop a sense of comradery and assist them in working together efficiently and effectively.

Professional sports psychologists help athletes cope with the intense pressure that comes from competition. This often involves finding ways to reduce performance anxiety and to combat burnout. It is common for athletes to get nervous before a game, performance, or competition. But these nerves can have a negative impact on performance. So, learning tactics to stay calm is important for helping athletes perform their best. Burnout can also happen to athletes who frequently experience pressure, anxiety, and intense practice schedules. Helping athletes restore their sense of balance, learn to relax, and keep up their motivation can help combat feelings of burnout.

Another important focus of sports psychology is on helping athletes recover and return to their sport after an injury. A sports injury can lead to emotional reactions in addition to physical injury, which can include feelings of anger, grief, frustration, hopelessness and fear. Psychologists work with these athletes to help them mentally cope with the recovery process and to restore their confidence once they are ready to return to their sport.