A Life-Span Approach to Understanding and Managing Choking With a Youth Athlete

in The Sport Psychologist

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Zoe Louise Moffat Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, United Kingdom

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Paul Joseph McCarthy Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, United Kingdom

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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4896-8374
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Lindsey Burns Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, United Kingdom

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Bryan McCann Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, United Kingdom

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https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9937-1730
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.2022-0103
Keywords:
athlete development; sport psychology; referral; assessment
First Published Online:
27 Jan 2023
In Print:
Volume 37: Issue 1
Page Range:
69–77
Restricted access

Life-span perspectives illustrate the critical features of development that clients experience; however, little evidence exists to illustrate how to integrate these approaches or use them in sport and exercise contexts. Attending to a clients’ developmental stage is a critical component of ethical and effective professional practice. We present an account of how we considered, selected, or dismissed components of life-span perspectives throughout the stages of service delivery with James, a youth sport athlete presenting with “choking” difficulties. The life-span approach offered a context to understand James’s presenting difficulty to determine the appropriateness and applicability of intervention, and acknowledged bias and experience of the psychologist.

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