Certified Athletic Trainers’ Understanding and Use of Sport Psychology in Their Practice

Abstract

Nine certified athletic trainers from one National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I institution participated in semistructured interviews about their understanding of sport psychology and use of psychological strategies in their work with injured athletes. Through Consensual Qualitative Research (Hill, 2012) procedures, three major domains were constructed: (a) recognition of the common psychological challenges of injury rehabilitation, (b) knowledge and understanding of sport psychology, and (c) utilization of sport psychology skills and strategies for rehabilitation. Although athletic trainers utilized basic psychological strategies (e.g., goal setting, reassurance) during injury rehabilitation, findings support the need for an interprofessional team approach to enhancing psychological recovery.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank Courtney Foster, Kelsey Peterson, Justin Smedley, and Annastatia Van for their technical assistance in this research.

Notes

1 This study was part of a larger qualitative investigation that also explored ATs’ perceptions, understandings, and use of sport psychology services with athletes during injury rehabilitation, practice, and competition.

2 See the Association for Applied Sport Psychology's criteria to become a certified SPC: http://www.appliedsportpsych.org/certified-consultants/become-a-certified-consultant/#Provisional.