Meet #PsychMappers

The integration of #PsychMapping into my work as a sports psychologist has brought about a significant change in my approach to athletes and coaches, even influencing areas beyond the sports realm. Ever since I incorporated this tool, I have noticed substantial improvements in information gathering, strategy formulation, and delivering feedback tailored to individual needs.

In my opinion, #PsychMapping has proven to be an invaluable and essential resource for exploring and elevating professionalism in the discipline. It provides an order and qualitative structure that was not previously available. The ability of this tool to offer a detailed perspective has enhanced my ability to address psychological aspects more deeply and effectively.

Undoubtedly, #PsychMapping emerges as an indispensable component for any sports psychology professional seeking to achieve an additional level of understanding and excellence in their work. Its application not only enriches professional practice but also proves to be an essential resource for boosting the performance and well-being of individuals, both within and outside the sports realm.

During the Master I got to know this tool thanks to the classes of Alexander T Latinjak and Eduardo Morelló in the in sport psychology master at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.  At the end of the master, I was a bit lost on how to apply the multitude of concepts and theories. At this point, I started this course encouraged by the positive feedback from colleagues who had taken it, and I don't regret it! This course has somehow managed to bring some order to my head. When you learn the background work behind this course, as well as where each of its parts has come from, it makes you have a great confidence in this tool. Furthermore, I value the concept of the #KnowledgeMap as a task, in a triangular relationship between the client and the practitioner. Moreover, I think that, apart from the facilities that this map can be for us (the practitioners), I am fascinated to see the multiple benefits and possible applications in athletes, coaches, clubs... being a great opportunity for them to discover themselves as well as to set goals to work on. All in all, I am looking forward to continue learning and to be able to join this project.

When you start psychological work with an athlete or a team, the first sessions are essential. It usually happens that, due to personal resistance, or stereotypes about the role of the psychologist, these moments become difficult experiences for the athlete and for the professional. Thanks to #PsychMapping and its approach to the task, all this becomes a session where the sports psychologist and the athlete feel involved creating an alliance. The athlete in particular is motivated to become aware of his thoughts and behaviors by building his own psychological reality. All in a professional and scientific manner. In addition, thanks to its flexibility and practicality, #PyschMapping can be a starting point, a group exercise or a tool for monitoring the athlete's progress. Currently, I am using #PyschMapping online with sport and Esport athletes with great results: "It's something new, useful and practical!" or “This is me, now I have a clearer idea of ​​where to start. Let's keep going!" These are just some of the comments received. I am certainly very interested and enthusiastic to learn how this tool will continue to develop in the future through the research and shared experiences of the #PsychMapping community of professionals.

As a sport psychologist I had the pleasure of having the project leader, Alexander Latinjak as a lecturer in two sessions of my master’s degree. Moreover, Vice Lead Eduardo Morelló gave us the opening speech of the course. That being said, I was first introduced to #SportPsychMapping in one of Alexander’s lectures. We were shown some of the materials and were briefly introduced to the method. What caught my eye, was that this exploratory method could give me the confidence I needed when starting my career in the applied field. Because of this and other reasons, I decided to take the online course of “PsychMapping”. Being able to do the course at my own time and pace was an enormous advantage as well as having all the complementary materials at hand. The main reason why I recommend this course to all the sport psychologists who want to work in the applied field is that the “PsychMapping” tool allows all your clients to think about themselves and they can take the final map resulting of the session to their home. Finally, I’m glad to be part of the growing “PsychMapping” Community, and I’m looking forward to being a part of future projects taking part within the community.

As a freshly graduated sport psychologist you ask yourself: „Okay, and now, how do I do this?”. After my first season working in a handball academy, I completed the #PsychMapping course and had never stopped using it since. I knew instantly that it’s a powerful tool in the daily work with sports participants as it offers a framework to gain an overall perspective of our clients. #PsychMapping has endless possibilities in applied practice whether you work with individual athletes, teams, or staff members. It is an effective tool for building participants’ psychological reality basically related to any topic. What I like the most about #PsychMapping is that it offers the possibility for participants to have their own map, that not only can help their self-reflection and to understand their current situation, but we can use it as a follow-up tool during the intervention. I am happy that I can be a part of this community and I look forward to seeing how #PsychMapping grows.

As a PhD student, I am conducting research within the field of sport psychology. This is where my experiences with #PsychMapping have occurred, as this has been a beneficial tool for me to use within my thesis studies. This tool enables an in-depth analysis around the sporting experience of the athlete. This then can be used to guide future decisions as a practitioner, or to be used as an assessment tool when conducting research. I have been fortunate to use this tool not only within my intervention study, working one to one with participants, but also as an evaluation tool to assess the progress of athletes at different time points in their season. I look forward to the continual use and development of this tool personally within my research as well as for other practitioners in an applied setting.

What I like the most about #PsychMapping are its simplicity and adaptability. As soon as you finish the course you will be ready to do your first interview. I've used this tool with coaches, players, sports psychologists, even opera singers, and all of them were impressed by how helpful it was. #PsychMapping is not only an assessment tool but also an awareness exercise for your client. Even a single #PsychMap will help your client get a clear picture of how their thoughts, feelings, and actions are influenced by a variety of factors. Making multiple maps on a regular basis further increases awareness, but also allows you and your client to track their progress. You are able to get deep knowledge of the person you are working with, in only one session. By connecting various aspects of their life, you can then create a personalized action plan. This will ensure that your client feels that what you are doing is not generic. Last but not least, becoming a member of a developing international network of Sport Psychology professionals is a huge benefit, since there are numerous possibilities to share, learn, and have fun.

I first became interested in #SportPsychMapping when I began to work extensively with several football (soccer) teams in the town I was living in in Greece. As I implemented this work, one thing that I always felt I was missing was a structure or framework for the initial assessment sessions, as I often felt as though I was only ever getting a small part of the picture which limited the help I could provide. However, I was never able to find a strategy in the existing literature that I felt provided a sufficient overall picture. As a result, when I came across the #SportPsychMapping tool I was very interested in getting involved, as it offered the structure and framework I felt had been lacking. My experiences since then have supported this initial belief, as I have found #PsychMapping to be a highly effective tool for getting a strong overall outlook of a wide picture for the client’s current situation, including their concerns, environment supports, and mental strengths, which has enabled me to draw attention to ways they can use their existing skills, as well as new skills that can further enhance their mental strengths and reduce their concern.

As a psychologist, the challenge of really making clients aware of their behaviours and their thoughts is one of the toughest challenges. This is where the #SportPsychMapping becomes important. Important because makes it easier to show my clients their own mental reality. The process of #SportPsychMapping is an exercise itself; my client has to make an effort to think about him or herself; in this dance which at the end provides them with a visual impact. For them, it is the very first time that after assisting a session, they end it with a material reward. For us, it is a great diagnostic tool. The community is spectacular since it is growing in a fast and multicultural way. I’m glad to be part of it and looking forward to the next projects!

When I decided to conduct a research project with Alexander, I couldn't expect that this experience could change my perspective about applied sport psychology. What I like the most about #PsychMapping is that I use a tool which combines high scientific background and fun. I have used it on participants from different populations in the sports setting and their comments were totally positive. Some of the most common comments were the improvement of their self-awareness and their liking on colours existence. While many people don’t know how sport psychologists work or they are afraid of asking for psychological support, #PsychMapping constitutes a valuable tool in order for sport psychology practitioners to introduce their work. Especially during the session, it facilitates the development of pleasant emotions to our clients and to us as well!

I remember when I read the #KnowledgeMap for the first time and I thought that it was brilliant, when Alexander started to use it to explain some cases it helped me to organize all the information and to better understand the athlete’s story. After a while, he came up with the idea of developing an exploratory interview based on the model, which became a fantastic tool for consultancy. As a young sport psychologist, the #SportPsychMapping provides me with a reliable and flexible structure to work with. From my perspective, one of its most interesting characteristics is that the athlete starts to see his/her (many times) “abstract” challenge in a more “tangible” way, being able to work with the pieces of the puzzle to improve in the areas the athlete/coach/client needs. Additionally, the development of the interview has made it clear that it is not only useful for the first time we meet with the client, but we can easily use it for different purposes just by modifying a few instructions.

As an applied practitioner I am excited to see how this community brings the #SportPsychMapping to the next level!

My name is Madó González. I have been linked to Sports Psychology for more than 30 years. This summer, looking to expand my training, I found the #PsychMapping course. The few doubts I had as to whether it was worth doing were dispelled in the first few minutes. A practical, dynamic and above all useful course that exceeded all my expectations. This tool allows us to develop our own #KnowledgeMap, that of our athletes, coaches ... Each session is different because each mind map is also different. One of the aspects that I value the most is the possibility of giving each of the people with whom we create their own map at the end of each session. It is something tangible that I am convinced will help us make our work as sports psychologists more visible. Eager to continue exploring and being part of the #PsychMapping Community

​I have found myself many times searching on the web for the next new applied tool for doing “practical” assessments for athletes, parents, coaches. Looking no further, surely #SportPsychMapping is that tool…but even better. It’s not just an assessment tool, it is a dynamic exercise applied in different phases allowing the client to think deeply what’ s important for them, while also triggering their brain to think of solutions to problems or concerns. Sounds whimsical, but it works. About the practitioner side of things, it’s super fun to connect & discuss with other #SportPsychMappers in an international, vibrant community that seeks to advance the applied sport psych field.

​As a sport psychology student most of your time you study about the theoretical aspect of this branch of psychology. For me, who I am interested in the applied field I have always find it important - of course to understand the theories but at the same time – to gain experience from the practical aspect. Then I quickly realised it is far from the idealised image/world that I expected based on the books. #PsychMapping, I believe gives me more confidence to start my career in the applied field as I have a tool in my hands. #PsychMaps makes the sessions easier, helps me comprehend how the person see himself/herself and also, it actively involves clients/athletes in the process which is an aspect that I would like to represent later. These maps on one hand, are there to create a structure to the sessions but at the same time it gives me the chance to change it and adapt it to my style and to the clients’ needs. In addition, #PsychMapping community is a great place to brainstorm and to share your ideas with fellow sport psychologist. For me, #PsychMapping is not only a useful tool but a great opportunity by which I can gain more knowledge about sport psychology and also to expand my field experiences by creating maps.

We are surrounded by uncountable courses, masters, trainings… There is a lot of information out there. You never feel prepared enough to start your professional career as a psychologist but suddenly you meet #SportPsychMapping and there is a plot twist in your mindset. Everything seems easier and more professional at the same time, structured and logical, original and reliable. As soon as I listened to Alexander’s explanation about the Knowledge Map of Sport and Exercise Psychology, my first thought was: “Come on! I need this!”. The online course with Edu and Alexander was an amazing experience. From my point of view, it is an incredible technique that helps psychologists and clients to clarify the situation that they are working on, which is the most basic starting point of a psychological intervention. Being able to use #SportPsychMapping allows you 1) to understand which external factors can be related to the issue that matters, 2) to describe the characteristics of the person or the situation that you have to work with and that can have an important psychological influence, 3) to analyse which are the abilities, strengths and weaknesses that can help us on improving our client’s demand and finally 4) to decide which intervention should be applied to succeed. Thanks to #SportPsychMapping I feel myself more confident and helpful for my clients’ needs.

If anyone asks me what I would have liked to know when I started doing sports psychology, I would definitely choose #SportPsychMapping. I love the big picture and the mental organization that comes with the exploratory interview. The #KnowledgeMap gives both beginners and those with more experience a very interesting global vision. It has never been easier to explain to people what you can do with sport psychology. Once introduced to #SportPsychMapping, we have many options: exploratory interviews, self-awareness exercises, follow-up interviews, goal setting, team building, competition analysis ... the possibilities are practically unlimited. Alexander took a first step that helps us to clarify what we have achieved so far in sports psychology. #SportPsychMapping makes it easy for us to work like we've never done before. The road is open, will you join me?

I am Alexander. With the help of brilliant colleagues, I developed #SportPsychMapping. I didn't mean to, but it just happened. While working on the #KnowledgeMap, I began to use the basic model, the distinction between external variables, descriptors and skills, as a framework for interviewing athletes. Shortly afterwards, I developed questions for each cluster. Before long, I was writing the article with Lucia, Edu, and other colleagues. The special thing about #SportPsychMapping is that it converts the one-dimensional relationship between practitioner and client into a triangle. In addition to practice-oriented and client-centred approaches, we can also choose a task-centred approach. I also enjoy my clients' reactions to #SportPsychMapping. In particular, seeing how a map evolves based on their responses brings a tangible benefit to the session. Many of my clients are very happy to take the map home from a meeting. While I believe that sports psychology needs to be flexible to respond to individual needs and traits, I also believe that structured practices are great suggestions that performance psychologists can adapt and use to help their clients develop. I do hate it if people believe I am telling them how to do their job; my goal with #SportPsychMapping is to create an option that colleagues can use, adapt or discard according to their own professional criteria.