CHARTERED PHYSIOTHERAPISTS’ PREFERRED Larson, G. A., Starkey, C., & Zaichkowsky, L. D. (1996).
METHODS OF DELIVERY FOR SPORT PSYCHOLOGY Psychological aspects of athletic injuries as perceived by
TRAINING athletic trainers. The Sport Psychologist, 10, 37-47.
Arvinen-Barrow Monna 1 , Hemmings Brian 1 , Becker Caryl Keywords: Training, Sport Psychology, Physiotherapy
A. 2 , Booth Lynn
(The University of Northampton 1 , British Olympic
Association 2 , United Kingdom)
A general consensus within published research subsist
about chartered sports physiotherapists desiring further
training in the psychological aspects of their work. More or
less all published studies (e.g., Francis, Andersen, & Ma-
ley, 2000; Heaney, 2006; Hemmings & Povey, 2002; Lar-
son, Starkey, & Zaichkowsky, 1996) have advocated further
training in the field, but so far the literature is yet to present
detailed information on when, where, how, and by whom
the further psychological skills training for physiotherapists’
should be put into practice. By surveying chartered phys-
iotherapists working in sports medicine, this study aimed
to offer conclusions to the existing suggestions and recom-
mendations on their preferred methods delivery for sport
psychology training.
Twenty-two (14 female, 8 male) chartered physiotherapists
working in sports medicine from Australia, Ireland, and
United Kingdom participated in the study. A question-
naire survey for Best Method of Sport Psychology Deliv-
ery (BMOSPD) was developed by the authors. The sur-
vey was then distributed to the participants at the Asso-
ciation of Chartered Physiotherapists in Sports Medicine
(ACPSM)/International Federation of Sports Physiotherapy
(IFSP) annual conference (July 7-8, 2006).
Physiotherapists desired further training in a range of psy-
chological skills/techniques. The most suitable methods for
the delivery were considered to be workshops, seminars,
monitoring, and coaching. Intense training days/weekends
were considered to be most fitting for the purpose. The vast
majority were willing to travel over 50 miles to receive such
training, and the physiotherapists felt that the most suitable
faction to arrange such training would be professional bod-
ies and associations.
The findings provide clear suggestions on which planning
further training for chartered physiotherapists on psycho-
logical skills/techniques could be based on. By making ap-
propriate training available for chartered physiotherapists
working in sports medicine, professional bodies and organ-
isations can assist the IFSP in their mission to pursue spe-
cialist recognition for sport physiotherapists worldwide.
Francis, S. R., Andersen, M. B., & Maley, B. (2000). Phys-
iotherapists’ and male professional athletes’ views on psy-
chological skills for rehabilitation. Journal of Science and
Medicine in Sport, 3(1), 17-29.
Heaney, C. (2006). Physiotherapists’ perceptions of sport
psychology intervention in professional soccer. Interna-
tional Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology(4), 67-80.
Hemmings, B., & Povey, L. (2002). Views of chartered
physiotherapists on the psychological content of their prac-
tice: A preliminary study in the United Kingdom. British
Journal of Sports Medicine, 36, 61-64.
12th Annual Congress of the ECSS, 11–14 July 2007, Jyväskylä, Finland
I