Translation to Practice

This kind of intervention could be applied to many situations, it is not just specific to athletes. However, the most crucial part of any intervention is to develop a sound understanding of where your client is at, how they feel about the issue, and working towards a solution.

This is when theories and models come into play in determining why a client may perceive things the way they do, and how to change these perceptions if necessary. We were lucky because Sophie was willing to work with us, as well as her coach, to reach a positive outcome. Many previous clients of ours, were not so willing to change.

The majority of our intervention was coordinated by Sophie herself. It's important that a client is able to be actively involved in their program, and that they understand their options and consequences of their actions - good or bad.

During our intervention, we had to consider what possible detrimental effects it could have on Sophie and her performance. One possibility is that Sophie may have become over confident, resulting in over-estimation of her abilities and disregarding opinions/advice of coaches and teammates. Fortunately we did not see this during our intervention, however if replicating this type of intervention the risk of this should be taken into consideration.

It is important that in the small amount of time available to health professionals, the knowledge and skills taught to the client are delivered in such a way that does not create a dependancy on the professional, and that the client is able to apply them to other aspects of their life.

This kind of intervention is very individualised and replicating it in a group setting may have less of an effect. As a health professional, it is important to assess if this intervention suits the client and their level of motivation. If the client is unmotivated and unaware of the issue, i.e. they are in the Pre-Contemplation phase (Stages of Change), it would be the role of the health professional to provide them with the education and knowledge to reach the Contemplation phase so they can become ready to make a positive change.