ABSTRACT
Presently, there is scant research in the sport psychology literature revealing applied practice in elite disability sport. Moreover, little is known about the effects and or efficacy of REBT with such populations. Therefore, the purpose of this chapter is to outline the use of REBT interventions in an elite disability soccer setting. The chapter considers my work as a sport psychologist with international soccer athletes with Cerebral Palsy (CP) during a 15-month preparation period ahead of a major international tournament. The chapter begins with an outline of the context that I was working in and commentary is reserved for exploring CP soccer and the underlying psychological and physical demands (including training, competition and disability classification) placed upon the athletes and support staff. The chapter then comments on the REBT-based intervention programme (including one-to-one athlete and coach support, psycho-education, and developing a rational performance culture) that was specifically developed based on needs analyses for the team. The overall aim of the programme was to foster rational thinking strategies in the coaches and athletes, along with developing a rational performance environment and team culture. The chapter concludes with a series of reflections, including the challenges, limitations and implications of using REBT in elite disability sport.
