ABSTRACT
After reading all of the above chapters, the reader will detect that several consistent themes resurface across the expert practitioners. These symmetries are briefly identified in this section, with each explaining how one might develop longevity within one’s chosen context. The characteristics include the following: cultural competence, knowledge underpinnings, the capacity to work within a team/organizational context, and an understanding that performances in professional contexts are embedded within a business model, that sport psychology consultants must be highly inquisitive, and that there must be a continuous thirst for knowledge based on emerging techniques and approaches. The majority of the authors highlighted cultural competence explicitly or at least implicitly. This competence might be gained from an earlier contextual knowledge of having been an athlete or coach within the context, or by being an astute observer and an inquisitive person. Either way, understanding one’s context is a necessity. Knowledge underpinnings in terms of specialist knowledge seem to include conceptual approaches and methodological or technical training in such skills as cognitive-behavioural approaches, social cognition, and mental skills techniques. Several of the authors (e.g. Symes or Harwood) referred to a frame, which might be regarded as humanistic. A humanistic view of humankind necessarily is inducing or associated with the attitude that one ought to accept the client as a cooperative partner in the endeavour of performance enhancement, as opposed to treating the athlete as a person to be treated as a patient. Further features of this view are honesty (faking is no option) and empathy are essential, as are trust and confidentiality. The capacity to work as part of an integrated support team embedded in an organizational context, alongside sport scientists, coaches, management, and even agents is emphasized to be necessary regardless of whether the performer is in a team or individual pursuit. It is argued (see Hackfort in chapter ten) that peak performance in elite/professional sport always requires teamwork. Furthermore, performances within professional contexts tend to always be founded on a business model, where there are consumers and where the performer is hired to provide a service denoted as entertainment. The nature of professional sport in terms of context and
content (kind of work) also necessitates that the practitioner remain inquisitive in terms of the most recent knowledge. Many of the authors spoke about the importance of ordering academic journals and reading fervently from the beginning to the end of their careers. Granted, there are also unique aspects to each context, but the broader characteristics just identified are common themes across the authors, symmetries they (and we) encourage you to consider as you seek to engage in or sustain a career working in professional sport.
