Case studies: Sport psychologist: Dave Hesse

Dave studied for a Masters in Sport and Exercise Psychology. He now works as a freelance sports psychologist...

Dave works in an independent freelance consultancy role. He qualified with an undergraduate degree in psychology and a Masters in Organisational Psychology. Having worked for eight years in a management consultancy role in London with organisations including Capgemini and Ernst and Young, he set up his own consultancy business and studied a Masters in Sport and Exercise Psychology.

Following a highly challenging and rewarding internship at IMG Academies in Florida, Dave returned to Scotland to work in his current role as a freelance sport psychologist with the Scottish Institute of Sport . He said that the period at IMG (an advanced, multi-sport training and education facility working with many of the world's leading figures in sport) provided him with a huge level of personal development.

Sports psychology often has negative associations, in other words athletes only seek help when there is a problem. Dave stresses that a great deal of his work is about helping people realise their potential and maximise their talent rather than merely being a counselling service for athletes who find they are struggling or who have difficulties.

Dave takes group workshops that are educationally based in the area of psychology and that provide participants with tools and techniques to increase awareness of mental skills within their sport. This includes goal setting and concentration techniques as well as coping strategies to deal with injury or setback.

He works with athletes, teams and coaches from a range of sporting disciplines including tennis, rugby, hockey, badminton and athletics. The clients Dave works with are often elite athletes referred via the Scottish Institute of Sport, while others are through word of mouth or referrals from other qualified practitioners including GPs.

Dave suggests that coaches are often the gateway to athletes, but stresses the importance of being aware who the client is. He has had clients referred through coaches and even the club chairman, and this can lead to resistance from the athlete unless the situation is managed appropriately. It is also important to set realistic expectations or even manage false expectations of the role of the psychologist. For instance, some people expect that because the rugby team had one session with a sports psychologist, they are certain to win at the weekend, which is not always the case. The sports psychology process is not a quick fix.

Dave works with clients through an initial assessment period, building trust and rapport with the individual or team, and suggests that outcomes must be driven by client needs. During this initial phase Dave is seeking to understand the client's 'model of the world' - what motivates them; how they see things. Having established effective working relationships, he may then move to intervention techniques, which might include approaches such as the athlete carrying out a self-analysis of their performance, developing consistent routines and/or managing distractions during their performance. Dave stresses that approaches are driven by the client's need, so what may work for one athlete will not work for another.

A typical day for Dave varies hugely depending on the client(s), but could include: video observation of his client's performance before following up with a one-to-one session; meeting a coach to plan a group workshop at one of the team training sessions; attending a meeting with other professionals such as physiologists or nutritionists to review the progress of injured athletes; one-to-one interviews with clients; and documentation/report writing.

Dave says that it's important to remember that athletes are human, and are not immune to the broad range of negative experiences faced by the general population including stress, clinical depression, anxiety, financial insecurity or eating disorders, to name but a few. Dave highlights this to show the need for sports psychologists to be aware of their own personal competence and professional boundaries. Often, such issues will lead to referral to a clinical psychologist or other specialist services.

Dave advises students thinking of a career in sports psychology to consider their motivations and be realistic. Elite athletes train for years and years to reach the top, and they expect the same level of expertise from their support staff. He stresses that sports psychologists are one of many support staff in the athlete's life - they are part of a specialist team. He suggests the psychologist needs to be able to blend into the background - it is the athlete who is the 'star'. As with many professional careers, continuous professional development is essential.