Researchers have examined psychology professionals’ ability to maintain and sustain effective practices while managing to balance their personal and professional lives. Stamm’s concept of professional quality of life was intended to capture both positive and negative aspects of caregivers’ professional experiences. The concept, however, inadequately addresses the unique context of sport psychology practitioners’ (SPPs) practice. As part of a larger qualitative study of sport psychology professional quality of life (SP-PQL), in this paper the researchers explored the challenges and strategies articulated by a multinational sample of 20 senior-level SPPs related to developing and maintaining their SP-PQL. Findings from an analysis of in-depth interviews revealed challenges and the strategies that participants undertook to foster and sustain their SP-QOL. These findings can be used to inform efforts by current and future practitioners to identify aspects that may thwart or support their SP-PQL.
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Alessandro Quartiroli, Sharon M. Knight, Edward F. Etzel, and Rebecca A. Zakrajsek
Alessandro Quartiroli, Edward F. Etzel, Sharon M. Knight, and Rebecca A. Zakrajsek
), which can ultimately affect their effectiveness as practitioners of their specialty ( Aoyagi & Portenga, 2010 ). In addition to engaging in a process of reflection and self-awareness, developing and maintaining professional competencies is fundamental to the effective practice of psychology in general
Alessandro Quartiroli, Justine Vosloo, Leslee Fisher, and Robert Schinke
Applied Sport Psychology, 2018 ; Fletcher & Maher, 2013 ; Tenenbaum, Lidor, Papaioannou, & Samulski, 2003 ). While some SPPs have embraced a focus on effective practice via the development of competencies needed to deliver their services and to plan their studies (e.g., Fletcher & Maher, 2013 ), there
Daniel R.F. Martin, Alessandro Quartiroli, and Christopher R.D. Wagstaff
Scholars have noted the importance of helping professionals’ work experiences through the exploration of Professional Quality of Life. Due to the unique experiences of sport psychology professionals, a sport psychology specific equivalent of the construct, the Sport Psychology Professional Quality of Life (SP-PQL), has recently been developed based on the experience of senior and experienced sport psychology professionals, yet researchers have not accounted for the experiences of neophytes. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 14 neophyte sport psychology professionals with the aim of gaining a deeper understanding of how they conceptualize, experience, and manage their SP-PQL. The data offer novel insights regarding neophyte’s conceptualizations of SP-PQL as well as the barriers and facilitators toward their SP-PQL. We conclude that greater emphasis on SP-PQL is required within British sport psychology development pathways, outlining considerations for educators, such as the provision of educational resources and curricula to better inform and support future neophyte’s SP-PQL.
John Lyle
, 2017 ). There is no doubt that this is a concept that exercises the minds of coaching academics. At a more practical level, the pursuit of professionalism, however defined and operationalized, implies that coaches have some notion of what would constitute effective practice and that coaches see the
Paul Garner, Jennifer Turnnidge, Will Roberts, and Jean Côté
effective practice, and suggests that the intent to be transformational is of greater importance than the behaviors per se. The intention that drives leadership behavior is explored in the wider literature, with considerable work focused on the concept of authentic versus pseudo approaches to TFL (e
Samuel T. Forlenza, Scott Pierce, Robin S. Vealey, and John Mackersie
, Developing Effective Practices, Interpersonal Skill and Relationships, and Intrapersonal Qualities of Coach. Results This section is organized by higher-order categories and provides examples of each of the lower-order themes of behaviors coaches can do to help both athletes and teams become more confident
Brendan Cropley, Sheldon Hanton, Andy Miles, and Ailsa Niven
This study offers an investigation into the concept of effective practice in applied sport psychology (ASP) with emphasis being placed upon the role that reflective practice may have in helping practitioners to develop the effectiveness of their service delivery. Focus groups (n = 2), consisting of accredited and trainee sport psychologists, were conducted to generate a working definition of effective practice, and discuss the concept of effectiveness development through engagement in reflective practices. The resulting definition encapsulated a multidimensional process involving reflection-on-practice. Initial support for the definition was gained through consensus validation involving accredited sport psychologists (n = 34) who agreed with the notion that although effectiveness is context specific it is related to activities designed to meet client needs. Reflective practice emerged as a vital component in the development of effectiveness, with participants highlighting that reflection is intrinsically linked to service delivery, and a key tool for experiential learning.
Afroditi Stathi and Piers Simey
Life in the Fourth Age has been typified as a time of continued functional decline and reduced quality of life. Exercise might positively affect this experience. This study explored the exercise experiences of nursing home residents age 86–99 years who participated in a 6-month exercise intervention. An interpretive phenomeno-logical approach was adopted. Twenty-one interviews were held with 14 residents at baseline and 7 residents at follow-up. Although their expectations were initially conservative, by the end of the intervention participants noted improved quality of life through better mobility, decreased fear of falling, and feelings of achievement and success. They valued the program as an opportunity to do something for themselves, to add something to their weekly routine, to meet other people, and to be more active generally. The professionalism of the exercise instructor appears to have been critical, balancing principles of safe and effective practice with the need to ensure that participants had fun in a supportive environment.
Karen S. Meaney and Sonya L. Armstrong
Bullying in any context adversely affects individuals and organizations. Although bullying is typically conceived of as an issue specific to children in schoolyards, adult bullying is widespread, and the literature on workplace bullying continues to emerge as a scholarly focus. More specifically, academic bullying in higher-education institutions has been identified as an area of particular interest. Considerable literature exists that addresses definitions, characteristics, and effects of faculty bullying; however, the literature is scant regarding effective practice and policy that explicitly aim to prevent academic bullying. Furthermore, although this is a topic often discussed informally on university campuses, it does not appear to be addressed explicitly in formalized institutional policies. In this manuscript, the authors provide the findings of the initial stages of a content analysis aimed at exploring extant policy at public doctoral-granting universities. Implications and recommendations for policy development based on the results of this policy review are provided.
