A perspective on consultancy teams and technology in applied sport psychology

Objectives and method: This article introduces the concept of consultancy teams to a sport psychology readership, presenting an overview of initial applications and findings of this approach in applied settings. Although the notion and application of consultancy teams in therapeutic settings has been around for many years (e.g., Weakland, Fisch, Watzlawick, & Bodin, 1974), they have yet to be explored within our discipline. Here, we present the theoretical foundations and historical application of consultancy team models, outlining our experience of using consultancy teams in an applied sport psychology setting. Moving towards the development of expertise and excellence in team consultancy methods, we subsequently describe how this process was assisted with the use of technology (i.e., the iPsych system). Results and conclusions: When consultancy teams practice it is necessary for one practitioner (the primary practitioner) to conduct the session with the client. The remaining team (the observation team) allows the primary practitioner maximum involvement with the client, while simultaneously assisting them to solve the presenting problem. The implications of working in this manner, alongside the novel use of technology, are considered with respect to the consultancy process and the development of excellence in training (neophyte) and existing practitioners. It is hoped that this article will provoke interest among sport psychologists in this way of consulting and direct thought towards other novel approaches to delivering interventions. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Traditionally, sport psychology consultancy is a one-to-one engagement between practitioner and client. Although many practitioners find themselves immersed in teams of athletes, coaches, and support staff, the extent of their professional teamwork may be limited to little more than the occasional reflective conversation with an external colleague or supervisor. In their paper detailing how a group of sport psychologists collectively supported the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), Cogan, Flowers, Haberl, McCann, and Borlabi (2012) suggested this solitary approach primarily exists because often, only one active sport psychologist works with a sporting organization. The authors commented, “... because of the individual nature of our work, rarely do we hear about how a group of sport psychology consultants within the same organization collaborates in working with athletes and teams” (p. 78). This is despite recent evidence emerging on how groups of sport psychologists who work within National sporting organizations operate through a context of team orientated service delivery (e.g., Cogan et al., 2012; Henriksen, Diment, & Hansen, 2011). This paper aims to build upon these early professional practice examples by detailing how a group of sport psychologists at the English Institute of Sport (EIS) embarked upon operating as a collaborative team of practitioners during consultations with athletes and other clients. When detailing how the group of USOC sport psychologists collaborated in their applied work, Cogan et al. (2012) illustrated how having a shared employer enabled practitioners to regularly work together on challenging consultation issues via reflective conversations with colleagues. Their combined model of support allowed the USOC practitioners to offer both emotional and professional support in a variety of work-related circumstances. For example, when a crisis arose, related to the death of an * Corresponding author. English Institute of Sport, Coleridge Road, Sheffield, S9 5DA, United Kingdom. Tel.: þ44 0870 759 1808; fax: þ44 0114 2617392. E-mail address: [email protected] (T. Pitt).