Evidence-Based Applied Sport Psychology: A Practitioner's Manual

Carlstedt makes a compelling argument for the need to be open to new integrative approaches when it comes to applied practice, from initial assessment of an athlete to the final objective assessment of their own work. I would encourage all practitioners to reflect upon their own work."óJournal of Sports Sciences

Evidence-Based Applied Sport Psychology is an essential resource for trainees and practitioners of sport psychology Ö In his call to evaluate effectiveness and efficacy at the intra-individual level (using single-case repeated-measures designs), Carlstedt raises a critical point that all applied psychology fields should heedÖ"óArchives of Clinical Neuropsychology

[I]f you are interested in sport psychology on any level, the manual is well worth the cost and investment of time."--New England Psychologist

The presented protocol in this book is a shining example of the scientific rigor that should mark assessment and intervention in sport psychology. The eloquent integration of psychological theory, reliable and ecologically valid mind-body assessment techniques, along with sophisticated intervention efficiency and efficacy testing will certainly inspire dedicated sport psychology practitioners striving for the highest level of evidence-based practice.

Richard Temple, PhD.,
Neuropsychologist and Board Certified Sport Psychologist

Dr. Carlstedt's book contains a treasure trove of knowledge for sport psychology practitioners. It challenges us to take our practice to the next level by demanding adherence to gold standard athlete assessment, intervention, and intervention efficacy testing procedures. This book presents a comprehensive analysis of emerging theoretical and conceptual frameworks and an original validated applied sport psychological protocol that all practitioners should use to foster high evidentiary practice. The intellectual rigor and spirit of scientific discovery that it embodies are inspiring, an approach that I used at the 2012 Olympics with my medalist athletes.

Vaibhav Agashe, M.S.,
India Olympic Team Sport Psychology Consultant

Dr. Carlstedt's multi-modal assessment and mental training protocol stands out as an innovative major advance in applied sport psychology. It brings high-evidentiary accountability to what is usually a very eclectic, nebulous and anecdotal process.

Ajay Wasan, M.D.,
Harvard Medical School

Evidence-Based Applied Sport Psychology can be considered a seminal, watershed book, and a major contribution to the field. Ultimately, the book should mobilize practitioners to challenge the status quo in applied sport psychology by going well beyond the cursory, and become more critical thinkers and practitioners. The book calls on all practitioners to be trained in the presented procedures and methodologies in order to become more credible practitioner-researchers, something that is crucial to the field's credibility and long-term viability.ÖThis book represents a significant advancement of the field of applied sport psychology.

Mark H. Anshel, PhD
Professor, Department of Health and Human Performance
Middle Tennessee State University
From the Foreword

This is the first book to call for a major paradigm shift in applied sport psychology by providing a wealth of systematic, scientifically validated research in a field where assessment and treatment has often been haphazard. In his quest to bring sport psychology to a higher level of validity, Dr. Carlstedt describes the most current assessment methods, intervention procedures, and promising research that are critical for use in evidence-based practice. These assessment and treatment methods are based on 25 years of rigorous scientific approaches and principles that incorporate the most sophisticated research methods now available.

The book describes the mechanisms that influence peak performance or psychological performance deficits and the mental training process, and provides procedures that will take the guesswork out of typical assessment and mental training. It offers tools with which practitioners can reexamine their modus operandi and critically explore the mechanism of interaction outcomes. To this end, the book includes extensive data sets on personality, behavioral tendencies, mind-body responses, and performance outcome.

Dr. Carlstedt advocates moving beyond compartmentalized therapeutic sessions in the office to directly observe athletic performance during training and actual competition. The text also contains individual and team case studies to enhance its focus on individualized, efficacy-tested protocols for each individual athlete.

• Presents a detailed client-centered assessment and intervention model grounded in technology-supported, step-by-step procedures, followed by efficacy testing
• Focuses on the importance of empirical scrutiny and individualized, efficacy-tested protocols for each individual athlete
• Describes the Carlstedt Protocol containing a visualization efficiency test among many other technologically based assessment and training tools
• Provides a roadmap for achieving a gold-standard system of accountability

Practitioners will learn how to work within Carlstedt's integrative model to improve athlete performance and contribute to the advancement of evidence-based applied sport psychology.