Developing and Sustaining Sport Psychology Programs A Resource Guide for Practitioners

PREFACE

ORGANIZATION OF THE BOOK

PHILOSOPHY OF SPORT PSYCHOLOGY PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Part I: FOUNDATIONS

1. Taking a Systems Perspective on Sport Psychology

2. Defining and Illustrating Sport Psychology Programs

3. Setting the Stage for Program Development

4. Overviewing the Program Development Process

Part II: CLARIFICATION PHASE

5. Specifying the Program Participants

6. Assessing the Needs of Program Participants

7. Determining Relevant Organizational Context

Part III: DESIGN PHASE

8. Establishing the Purpose and Goals of the Program

9. Organizing the Program Design

10. Putting the Program Design into an Evaluable Form

Part IV: IMPLEMENTATION PHASE

11. Facilitating Program Implementation

12. Monitoring the Process of Program Implementation

Part V: EVALUATION PHASE

13. Formulating a Program Evaluation Plan

14. Evaluating Program Implementation

15. Evaluating Goal Attainment

16. Evaluating Reactions to the Program

17. Evaluating the Program’s Strong Points and Limitations

18. Communicating and Using Program Evaluation Information

19. Closing Comments and Program Development Practice Standards

APPENDICES

Appendix A: Example of a Program Design

Appendix B: Sport Psychology Program Evaluation Plan

REFERENCES

INDEX

Biography

Charles A. Maher is a Sport and Performance Psychologist and Senior Director of the Department of Personal and Organizational Performance with the Cleveland Indians Baseball Organization.

"Dr. Maher has detailed the sport psychology program development and evaluation techniques that have made him a standout in the highly competitive world of professional sport psychology consulting. The strong theoretical foundation, real-world examples, and professional practice exercises provide key information that novices and professionals in the field are likely to find themselves revisiting again and again. Bravo!"—Judy L. Van Raalte, Springfield College, USA

"Dr. Maher has put together an outstanding innovative resource guide for practitioners that focuses on a systems-based approach to program development and service delivery. There is nothing else like it in the Sport Psychology Literature. The book provides a practical, thorough, systematic framework for designing, planning, implementing, and evaluating tailor made intervention programs that fit the needs of any sport organization and/or team. I highly recommend it!"—Dave Yukelson, Association for Applied Sport Psychology, USA

"Invaluable resource for anyone developing sport psychology programs for individuals, groups, teams, and organizations. Maher has years of experience at all levels of sport, and is ideally suited to present an excellent framework for clarification, design, implementation, and evaluation of successful sport psychology programs." —Michael L. Sachs, Temple University, USA

"This cutting-edge book provides a clear, concise, and practical template for the delivery of valuable sport psychology services to individual athletes, coaches, teams, and organizations. Both seasoned and early career professionals will find this useful in developing programs that will be comprehensive, self-correcting, and sustainable. This is a unique and highly valuable contribution to the field of applied sport psychology." —Jack J. Lesyk, Ohio Center for Sport Psychology, USA

"Dr. Maher is a leader in the field of sport psychology at the professional and collegiate levels. It is no surprise that his text, Developing and Sustaining Sport Psychology Programs: A Resource Guide for Practitioners is an invaluable resource for those young professionals hoping to build a strong and sustainable sport psychology program at any level. Dr. Maher is masterful in building highly effective sport psychology programs that make sense, are evidenced-based, and are useful to coaches, players and sport psychology staff." —Richard D. Ginsburg, Co-Director of MGH Sports Psychology Program, USA

"This is a must-read for anyone interested in developing a sport psychology practice. Clear, direct, comprehensive, and easy to read, Dr. Maher dissects every aspect to consider to set yourself up for success, even providing concrete examples and templates as resources. Seasoned professionals, graduate students, and everyone in between can find utility in this guide written by an expert in this space." —Amber Cargill, NFL Players Association, USA