ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses some of the issues practitioners should be aware of when working with adolescent athletes. It describes the specific pressures and struggles adolescent athletes experience. The chapter considers different perspectives on working with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for the adolescent. It also describes a case of working with defusion and acceptance for a young elite basketball player. The chapter highlights lessons learned and professional reflections for other sport psychology practitioners. One important reminder for the sport psychology practitioners is that working with adolescent athletes requires patience and readiness to explain and continuously reinforce the concepts in practice sessions or during one-on-one counselling. Looking beyond the individual athlete, the sporting environment plays a role for development of psychological skills for the adolescent athletes. Adolescent athletes might feel that they need to express their thoughts in a more polite way.
