Lessons Learned Sport Psychology Practitioners' Experiences of Working in Performance Sport During The COVID-19 Pandemic

Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic led athletes and coaches to seek assistance from sport psychology practitioners (SPPs). However, SPPs were also constrained in their professional and private lives during this time. This qualitative study examined how the pandemic affected SPPs' consulting work with athletes and coaches from March 2020 until June 2021. The overarching purpose was to derive insights into SPPs' applied practice. I conducted semistructured interviews with eight certified SPPs from Germany, Austria, and Great Britain (4 females; Mage = 46.37 +/- 11.16 years; Myears of practice = 18; range = 2 - 30). Participants were self-employed or worked at Olympic centers, youth academies, and sports schools. A reflexive thematic analysis revealed how the SPPs' practice was tested, how their private and work life interacted, and how the pandemic promoted emerging trends within sport psychology. The lessons derived can help prepare SPPs for future challenges in their work, such as health crises or postponements of events.