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Brief cognitive behavior therapy is planned brief therapy designed to influence a specific target behavior (e.g., sport performance) with the lowest investment of cost and time. We report a brief cognitive behavior therapy intervention delivered to improve serve performance in county-level youth tennis players (three male and one female; M _age = 14.90 years). Following an assessment of athlete needs, we implemented a brief-contact intervention involving diaphragmatic breathing. The intervention was delivered across two “structured” sessions, with the athletes having access to the sport psychologist between sessions as required. To assess the effectiveness of the intervention, we implemented a single-case withdrawal design. Results indicated that the intervention had a positive effect on performance, with athletes’ first-serve percentage increasing significantly (3.91%, p < .05). Results also indicated that a minimum preperformance-routine time (routine > 2 s) might be required for effective performance outcomes. Finally, we offer reflections on the delivery and implementation of a single-case design, while navigating avenues of professional development.

This case reports a brief attribution-retraining (AR) intervention with youth tennis players. Athletes were struggling to maintain emotional control, resulting in problematic on-court behavior (e.g., racket throwing). The intervention used a Think Aloud protocol and AR across five key phases: (a) assessment, (b) psychoeducation, (c) AR, (d) evaluation, and (e) follow-up. The authors determined intervention effectiveness using qualitative (Think Aloud) and quantitative (Causal Dimension Scale-II) athlete data and feedback provided by athletes and the coach, alongside practitioner reflections. Evaluation suggested that AR and Think Aloud interventions can improve athletes’ emotional control and attribution capabilities, and, in turn, their behavior. The case seeks to present a novel approach to working with youth athletes, highlighting the importance of practitioner adaptability.

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.