Delivering Athlete-Centred Mental Skills Training: The CARES Model

Purpose: A pedagogic shift is needed in the delivery of mental skills training (MST) from the traditional sport psychology consultant (SPC)-centred approach, in which the SPC is the expert and athletes are the recipient of their expertise, to an athlete-centred approach, in which the SPC is the facilitator and athletes are more actively involved in their mental skills development. This presentation introduces the CARES model (Cumming et al., 2022) as an evidence-based way of delivering athlete-centred MST.

Background: The CARES model consists of 5 components underpinned by basic psychological needs theory (Deci & Ryan, 2002): (1) competence supportive; (2) autonomy supportive; (3) relatedness and interpersonal involvement; (4) engagement through communication; and (5) structure and group management. Evaluation indicates the CARES model is an effective way of facilitating MST in non-sport settings and can be delivered with fidelity by SPCs and co-delivered by non-SPCs (Parry et al., 2021; Tidmarsh et al., 2021).

Methods: A narrative review was undertaken to inform athlete-centred MST as a potentially effective way of improving athletes’ performance, well-being, and psychosocial development. Implementing the CARES model is expected to make it more likely that athletes will be attentive and engaged in MST sessions, more self-directed and confident in their use of mental techniques, and find MST to be enjoyable, relevant, meaningful, and transferable to other life domains.

Conclusions: SPCs may perceive barriers to athlete-centred MST and this presentation outlines ways these concerns can be overcome as well as research opportunities for implementing and evaluating the CARES model in sport.