Psychosocial Strategies for Athletic Training

Learning Objectives

1. Discuss the impact of anxiety on the injured athlete
2. Understand the socioculture of sport and sport ethic as they relate to the athlete
3. Describe what under conforming behaviors mean in the context of sport and injury
4. Discuss the important role stress plays for the injured athlete
5. Explain the strategies the athletic trainer can use to help reduce stress for the injured athlete
6. Understand emotional responses and behaviors of the athlete post-injury
7. Describe the concept of athletic identity
8. Discuss the psychological strategies of metal imagery, self-talk, social support, and motivation and their appropriate use with the injured athlete
9. Understand the important role of education and communication for the athletic trainer
10. Understand the signs and symptoms of mental distress and when and how to refer the athlete to professional mental help
11. Explain the basic physiology of how pain is perceived, and the difference between chronic and acute pain
12. Discuss the concept of placebo
13. Describe adherence to rehabilitation and the many psychosocial barriers to adherence
14. Describe the psychosocial strategies the athletic trainer can implement during an athlete’s rehabilitation to reduce under adherence
15. Explain the importance of social support for the injured athlete and how the athletic trainer facilitate social support
16. Describe the psychological strategy skills that can be used for the athlete during rehabilitation
17. Recognize barriers that the athletic trainer may have in using psychological skills that can be useful for the athlete during rehabilitation
18. Discuss psychological issues that can interfere with an athlete’s return to sport
19. Discuss the use of surveys to help gauge an athlete’s readiness for return-to-participation
20. Explain how the athletic trainer can assist the athlete in overcoming anxiety related to return-to-participation