Development, implementation, and evaluation of an educational program in sport psychology for athletic trainers

In response to the 1994 role delineation study conducted by the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) which recognized that athletic trainers must be knowledgeable in the area of the psychology of sports injuries, a sport psychology workshop was developed that was specifically designed for athletic trainers. The five-hour workshop was an overview of sport psychology as related to athletic training, how sport psychology techniques could be used to prevent injury, and how to facilitate the rehabilitation process once an injury had occurred through utilizing the psychological skills training techniques (e.g., goal setting, imagery, self talk, relaxation) in conjunction with the injury rehabilitation program.;The workshop was presented as a preconference workshop at the Eastern Athletic Trainers' Association annual meeting on January 7, 1995. Any athletic trainer who could not attend the workshop had the opportunity to participate through a home study option. The workshop was approved by the NATA for.5 Continuing Education Units. The athletic trainers were given a short Sport Psychology Knowledge Test developed specifically to correspond with the topics covered in the workshop prior to and at the completion of the workshop.;A total of 58 athletic trainers participated in this study: 26 attended the workshop and 32 participated through the home study option. It was found that the athletic trainers significantly increased their knowledge of sport psychology and athletic training by 43% by the end of the workshop. No overall significant differences were found between the workshop participants and the home study group, suggesting that a home study option may be a viable alternative to attending a workshop. The feedback obtained from the workshop evaluation was generally positive for the workshop materials and for both the workshop and home study versions. A questionnaire administered one month later indicated that the athletic trainers who participated in the workshop utilized the sport psychology techniques covered in the workshop in conjunction with their practices as athletic trainers.