Positive Results of Mental Performance Consulting
- Build Confidence
- Help Recover From Setbacks
- Help With Focus
- Improve Communication
- Manage Stress
Many people may not have heard of a Certified Mental Performance Consultant, but this is a specialty that someone with a sport psychology degree can pursue. While a CMPC works with people in all age groups, they can be invaluable in changing children’s attitudes about sports and making it an enjoyable activity for them.
Build Confidence
Some children struggle with enjoying sports because of a lack of confidence. An individual with a sports psychology degree can work with children to move and think with more confidence when they are playing sports. This can involve focusing on their existing strengths and thinking of weaknesses as places for improvement instead of a permanent state. Other cognitive skills children may learn are stopping negative thought processes about their performance and replacing them with positive ones.
Help Recover From Setbacks
Children may become quickly discouraged if they make mistakes, and this could snowball into a poor performance overall. A CMPC can work with children to teach them how to manage setbacks both in the fray of the game itself as well as afterward. This may also involve teaching control of emotional expression since some children may lash out with anger when they perform poorly or when things do not go well during a game.
Help With Focus
Sports can be an excellent place for children to learn more about focusing under stressful conditions. In fact, it is so effective that some psychologists recommend team sports as a way for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to improve their focus according to an article in U.S. News and World Report. Whether or not a child has ADHD, a certified mental performance consultant can teach the child to shift away from the distraction, such as the noise of a crowd, and focus on what the next action should be.
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Improve Communication
Children need to be able to communicate effectively with their teammates and their coach. Depending on the child’s specific needs, this could range from empathizing with and encouraging teammates to communicate difficulties to the coach to techniques for bonding better with teammates to simply discussing their experience in the sport or building friendships. Children may also need to learn skills that help them respond appropriately if teammates or players from the other team become angry or aggressive over the course of the game or off the field.
Manage Stress
Ideally, coaches and parents will help children manage sports-related stress instead of contributing to it. However, a CMPC can work with children and give them tools to manage stress even if this is not the case. In many ways, this stress management involves combining above skills such as focus, communication, and confidence. Learning to manage stress is critical for children playing sports because not doing so could result in burnout and dropping out of the activity altogether.
Conclusion
Mental training is an important element of success in sports. These skills are also transferable to other areas of children’s lives. With the help of a Certified Mental Performance Consultant with a sport psychology degree, children can get more out of the sports they play and enjoy their time on the field.
Related Resources:
- 5 Careers in Sports Psychology
- 15 Most Affordable Online Sport Psychology Programs
- 5 Characteristics of a Sports Psychologist
- 5 Functions of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology
- 5 TED Talks on Sports Psychology
- 5 Ways a Sports Psychologist Can Improve Team Cohesion
- How Can I Become an NFL Sports Psychologist?
- How Do You Become a Sports Psychologist?
- What are the Prerequisites for a Master’s in Sport Psychology?
- What Careers are in Sports Psychology?
- What Does a Sports Psychologist Performance Coach Do?
- What is a Clinical Sports Psychologist?
