SBU SPORT PSYCHOLOGY SERVICES 2015 AND BEYOND Jack Bowman Ph SBU SPORT PSYCHOLOGY SERVICES 2015 AND BEYOND Jack Bowman Ph.D Clinical Sport Psychologist

Goal of Sport Psychology Program Instill life long skills that promote physical, emotional, and moral development in our athletes

Kangaroo hide Skates SB Graduate Faculty Member since 1981 Psychology of Sport and Performance Five Appointments as Sport Psychology Consultant To 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 strife are born the seeds of valor General Douglas McArthur

Psychological Skills are transferable across situations

WIN the BATTLE of FOCUS vs DISTRACTION The more critical the moment The more important it is to WIN the BATTLE of FOCUS vs DISTRACTION

John J. Bowman, Ph.D. Mind Plus Muscle Institute 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 Sweden Helping 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 Setting Somatic & Cognitive Relaxation Stress Management Self Confidence Training Identifying Critical Incidents Focusing 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 From______ To______ Awesome Performance Great Practice 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