ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the issues and the roles that consultants can play within three primary areas of a high-performance team: coaches and conditioning staff, the sports medicine staff, and the organization’s management. Specifically, pertinent areas such as gaining entry, developing and maintaining trust, and integrating mental training into the services of other coaches are highlighted. Depending on its level, scope, and goals, clients might include team owners, team leadership, sports medicine staff, coaching staff, or athletes. Honest communication is essential for consultants to reflect an authentic version of themselves and build trust within the consultant–coach relationship. If the sports medicine team employs a physical therapist on-site, many of the same principles regarding the relationship between consultants and athletic trainers apply to them as well. Ultimately, sports performance and recovery from injury are significantly more complex than engaging in rehabilitation exercises or executing physical skills.
