While both a sports psychologist and mental performance coach focus on enhancing an athlete’s mental capabilities, there are some key differences, and here’s why working with a mental performance coach or sport psychologist could be advantageous.
Education & Credentials
Sports Psychologists typically hold a doctoral degree in psychology or a related field and are often licensed psychologists. They can diagnose and treat mental health conditions from a clinical standpoint such as anxiety, depression, and trauma, that often impact performance. Sports Psychologists will often use psychological theories and evidence-based therapy techniques to address mental health conditions. The benefit is that they can work on both performance as well as personal psychological issues.
Mental Performance Coaches can come from a large array of educational backgrounds such as counseling, exercise science, coaching, and psychology. Many mental performance coaches have backgrounds in Sport Psychology, such as having a Master’s Degree in the field. Others, may have education in a counseling-related background and were also a coach and/or an athlete themselves, giving a unique perspective to working with athletes on mindset. It is very important to note that mental performance coaching is not counseling or therapy. While mental performance coaches can work on mindset, they are not trained or licensed mental health professionals who provide therapy or can diagnoses psychological conditions.
While the education and credentials are some of the most important differences between the two fields, both Sports Psychologists and Mental Performance Coaches still share a lot of the same attributes when working with athletes:
- Holistic approach to performance: Consider factors like nutrition, sleep, recovery, and lifestyle choices that can impact an athlete’s mental state and performance.
- Performance optimization using mindset skills: enhancing mental skills such as focus, confidence, resilience, and motivation to improve athletic performance.
- Applied sport psychology strategies: employ a variety of practical techniques and strategies to help athletes develop mental skills. These may include visualization, goal setting, mindfulness, self-talk, relaxation techniques, and stress management strategies tailored specifically to the demands of sport.
- Consistency, intentionality, & accountability: help athletes develop mindset habits and routines that can directly impact performance and having a mentally strong mindset while keeping them accountable from session to session
- Valuable & caring guidance & feedback: use reflection and progress monitoring strategies to review athletes’ performance and provide informed feedback to track their progress, identify areas for improvement, and adjust their mental training strategies accordingly.
- Developed trust & rapport to create a personalized approach: understand that every athlete is unique and may require different approaches to mental training. Both tailor their programs to meet the individual needs, goals, and preferences of each athlete, ensuring a personalized and effective approach to mental skill development.
Which one to choose?
Some athletes choose to work with a mental performance coach over a sports psychologist because of the need and/or desire to develop specific sport strategies and mindset skills to achieve optimal performance, overcome recent sport challenges, and reach their overall outcome goals. This is all while having the ability to connect with a caring and supportive coach that guides them along the way.
On the other side, some athletes choose to work with a sports psychologist over a mental performance coach because of their clinical experience and therapeutic background and support when overcoming mental health challenges and/or conditions that are related to both sports and personal circumstances.
Ultimately, working with a mental performance coach or a sports psychologist can provide athletes with the comprehensive support, practical tools, and individualized guidance they need to enhance their mental skills and ultimately optimize their performance in sport.
At the end of the day, it is up to you! Everyone has different methods, styles, and preferences of receiving support. At Able Athletics Mindset, we value each athlete and want to provide the best support possible to help you achieve your goals. And if we feel that you may need more than what we can provide, when appropriate, we will refer you out to the necessary service.