Career Assistance to a Team in Crisis-Transition: An Intervention Case Study in Swedish Elite Handball

in Case Studies in Sport and Exercise Psychology

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Johan Ekengren Halmstad University

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Natalia Stambulova Halmstad University

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Urban Johnson Halmstad University

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Andreas Ivarsson Halmstad University

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Robert J. Schinke Laurentian University

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/cssep.2020-0015
Keywords:
career assistance program; career-long psychological support services; sport psychology practitioner; professional athletes
In Print:
Volume 5: Issue 1
Page Range:
10–19
Restricted access

In this paper, the authors share how a career assistance program was developed, implemented, and evaluated with a Swedish elite handball team. Within this case study, the initial version of the career assistance program’s content was created based on the career-long psychological support services in a Swedish handball framework and the first author’s applied experiences. During implementation, the head coach was terminated unexpectedly, and the team appeared in a crisis. This transitional situation led to modification of the career assistance program to help the players cope with changes. Eighteen players took part in eight workshops dealing with various aspects of their sport and nonsport life (e.g., performance, training, lifestyle, recovery, and future planning) with crisis-related issues (e.g., coping with uncertainty) incorporated. Mixed-methods evaluation revealed the players’ perceived increase in personal resources (awareness and skills) and decrease in stress and fatigue. Reflections on working in applied sport psychology from a holistic perspective in a dynamic real-life setting are provided.

Ekengren, Stambulova, Johnson, and Ivarsson are with the Center of Research on Welfare, Health and Sport, Halmstad University, Halmstad, Sweden. Schinke is with the School of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada.

Ekengren (johan.ekengren@hh.se) is corresponding author.
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