PSY FPX 8841 Assessment 1 Intervention Plan for Ashley

Student Name

Capella University

PSY FPX 8841 Performance Enhancement in Sports

Prof. Name:

Date

Background

This document outlines an intervention plan for Ashley, a client referred by her coach for focus training. Her main issues include making “mental mistakes” during performances and experiencing anxiety under pressure. Additionally, her attention in both classroom and film study sessions has been suboptimal. Ashley is a 19-year-old Caucasian female student-athlete, specializing in long-distance running as part of her university’s cross country/track team. She is a full-time economics major and is seeking to enhance her sports performance. Based on the information provided, it seems that addressing her anxiety and nervousness could likely improve her athletic output. She describes the transition from high school to college as challenging, especially with a demanding academic workload and fatigue due to more frequent weekend outings. Ashley averages about four to five hours of sleep per night, partially due to morning practices and socializing with her boyfriend and suitemates. Although she has been getting insufficient sleep since starting college, she does not feel this is a problem, citing her mother’s similar habits. She mentions catching up on sleep during the weekends.

Regarding nutrition, Ashley reports maintaining the same diet since starting college but has noticed a weight loss of about 10 pounds. While her coach views this as a positive change since she was slightly overweight upon entering college, Ashley expresses concern over not wanting to gain weight like some of her peers. She attributes her weight loss to increased physical activity compared to her high school years.

PSY FPX 8841 Assessment 1 Intervention Plan for Ashley

Athletically, Ashley has been a runner since 7th grade, and before that, she played soccer and participated in the high school band. She describes herself as a high achiever, earning straight A’s and excelling as the 1st chair in band. This drive for perfection is something she attributes to her mother. While Ashley recognizes that her high-achieving nature drives her to excel, she also feels immense pressure to perform well. She admits to feeling disappointed that she is not the best on her team, which has led to increased worry about various aspects of her life, from academics to relationships with her boyfriend, teammates, and roommates.

Ashley’s anxiety has escalated to the point where she feels exhausted by the time she gets to practice. Her caffeine intake has increased in an attempt to manage this fatigue, but it has not been particularly effective. During longer runs, she often feels like she hits a wall and cannot continue, especially when racing against better athletes at the collegiate level. Her anxiety has reached a level where she feels physically ill before races and dreads competing.

Analysis

Ashley’s primary concerns revolve around reducing her anxiety and stress to enhance her athletic performance. Currently, depression does not appear to be an issue, but alleviating her anxiety could help prevent potential depressive symptoms related to her self-perception. Given her family history, particularly her mother’s experience with panic attacks, an anxiety disorder is a plausible concern (Smith, Smoll, & Passer, 2002). The anxiety is affecting her sports performance, likely contributing to her inability to focus. Conversely, her declining performance may also be fueling her anxiety. Transitioning from high school to college, along with the pressures of new friendships and heightened competition, adds to her stress. To improve her sports performance, Ashley could benefit from interventions targeting focus, confidence, and performance anxiety. If her anxiety persists, a referral to a sports psychologist may be necessary (Van Raalte & Andersen, 2014).

Intervention Plan

Phase	Strategy	Details
Trust Building	Support from Coach/Team Management	Already established through coach referral. Clarification on roles is required (Association for Applied Sport Psychology, n.d.).
	Integration into Regular Training	Sessions to be integrated into Ashley’s regular training schedule, either pre- or post-training, for 15-30 minutes (Williams & Krane, 2015).
Observation	Field Observations	Natural assessment of Ashley’s behavior during practice (Speed & Anderson, 2014).
Needs Assessment	Discussion with Coach & Ashley	Gathers insights on what is needed from Ashley’s performance. Information shared will not breach confidentiality (Association for Applied Sport Psychology, n.d.).
Assessment Instrument	Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2)	Tool to assess cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety, and self-confidence (Martens et al., 1990).
Interventions	Focus	Ashley needs to manage expectations around her social relationships, freeing up time for academics and reducing stress for improved sleep and athletic focus.
	Confidence	Developing a habit of positive self-talk to address mental limitations affecting physical performance. Self-talk should focus on achievable, believable outcomes.
	Performance Anxiety	Working on reducing the stress of being watched during performance by employing self-talk strategies learned during training.
Referral	Sports Psychologist	If necessary, Ashley may be referred to a sports psychologist for further assistance with clinical issues (Association for Applied Sport Psychology, n.d.).
Termination of Services	Progress-based	Services will conclude based on Ashley’s progress or a higher need for specialized psychological support.

References

Association for Applied Sport Psychology. (n.d.). Ethics code: AASP ethical principles and standards. Retrieved from http://www.appliedsportpsych.org/about/ethics/ethics-code/

Beckmann, J., & Elbe, A. (2015). Sport psychological interventions in competitive sports. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Capella University. (n.d.a). Intervention Plan Scenario and Client Engagement Script. Retrieved from https://courseroomc.capella.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/PSY-FP/PSYFP8841/180700/Course_Files/cf_intervention_plan_scenario_client_engagement_script.html

Martens, R., Burton, D., Vealey, R.S., Bump, L.A., & Smith, D.E. (1990). Development and validation of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2). In R. Martens, R.S.

Vealey, & D. Burton (Eds.), Competitive anxiety in sport (pp. 193-208). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Smith, R. E., Smoll, F. L., & Passer, M. W. (2002). Sport performance anxiety in young athletes. In F. L. Smoll & R. E. Smith (Eds.), Children and youth in sport: A biosocial perspective (2nd ed.). Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt.