MYTH:
Sports Psychology Works With Athletes Who Are Mentally Ill.
FACT:
The definition of mental illness implies there is a serious psychological disorder present. Sports psychology is, in part, focused on the performance deficits of a person's sport experience. There certainly are athletes with mental illness who need the care of a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist and who continue to participate in sport, but mainstream sport psychology does not focus on or work with individuals who are mentally ill. These individuals are referred to a proper mental health professional. Athletes who are mentally healthy are the focus of sport psychologists. An athlete who needs help improving mental skills undertakes sport psychology training from an educational perspective, not a mental health one.
