Sports Psychology

The aim of Sports Psychology is to help athletes and staff prepare psychologically for the demands of competition and training. With around 30 expert psychologists, the UK Sports Institute has one of the world’s leading psychological support systems for high performance.

Why is there a Sports Psychology team at the UK Sports Institute (UKSI)?

The purpose of the UK Sports Institute Sports Psychology team is to facilitate the creation of psychologically underpinned and sustainable high-performance environments that develop the person as well as the performer to THRIVE. Watch the video below to learn more.

Ten Guiding Principles for Sports Psychology

Through our collaboration as a team, and with athletes and staff from within and outside the system, we have developed ten guiding principles to underpin our purpose:

Thriving is everyone’s business

Success is driven by a process focus aligned with a higher purpose

Personal values drive behaviour

Psychological safety promotes collaboration and risk taking (challenge perceptions)

Uniqueness and strengths should be embraced and optimised

The performance culture is determined by clear and unambiguous standards

Shared understanding and language promote consistent communication

Performance environments require appropriate balance of challenge and support

Purposeful experience and reflection evolve human performance

Failing smart accelerates learning and promotes growth

There is a strong performance focus, but traditional sports psychology intervention is dependent upon the guiding principles being in place. In practice, our practitioners facilitate opportunities (through collaboration) for sports to develop their athletes and staff holistically, helping shape values-driven cultural environments that are sustainable for future generations.

To find out more about how our sports psychologists can help you, get in touch today.