My Working Day:Gerry Hussey is a sports psychologist with Irish High Performance in the west of Ireland
As a sports psychologist, I have many roles and responsibilities. Firstly, I have a responsibility to the athlete, to help him/her with performance-based techniques, such as developing motivational, relaxation, arousal and concentration cues.
I also work with the athlete in developing effective goal-setting practices and deciding on long- and short-term goals. On a less performance-based level, I try to assist the athlete in the many personal and emotional challenges that life and elite sport can bring.
It is important that the sports psychologist is comfortable and effective in both areas as the athletes' self-esteem and self-concept is a central vehicle to their success and the overcoming of obstacles.
Secondly, I have a responsibility to the coaches and team management. It is imperative that they are kept up to speed on the athletes' development and needs. While respecting the role of confidentiality, the sports psychologist has to ensure open and clear communication pathways exist around the team and support team.
Helping the team develop effective methods of feedback and appraisal is also a central part of my job. As far as possible, each member of the team - player or support staff - must regularly evaluate their own performance, their current successes and challenges and decipher the necessary changes they may need to make to maximise their output.
Really, there is no typical day in my job. It may involve one-on-one sessions in an office setting, accompanying athletes on running sessions, observing athletes and managers, verbal and non-verbal communication in the gym, taking quiet walks with athletes who need to get certain things off their chest, waiting in airports, sitting in on sport science and coaching sessions, or developing effective recovery practices with athletes and physios.
It is as varied as that and all depends where you are, how close to competition you are and what are the areas of concern at that time.
The hours I work vary greatly, depending on the athletes' training schedule and recovery plans. If we are away at training camps, the days can start very early and likewise can often end in late-night meetings with team coaches and managers. You have to be very flexible and willing to fit in to whatever suits the athlete best.
The ideal situation is where the sports psychologist is with the athletes in a very regular manner and is on-site as often as possible to experience changes and difficulties as they happen.
For me, to have a career that involves preparing athletes for the highest levels of competition is a privilege. To observe an athlete as they develop and begin to realise their full potential is a real privilege.
You have to be a sport fanatic, you have to be able to enjoy the long, hard days in the gym, the gruelling hours of planning and preparation, the ability to watch a plan unfold in whatever manner and the ability to go back to the drawing board and makes things bigger and better for the next time.
So maybe it's the constant challenge, the uncharted ground and the never-ending diversity that's the most satisfying part.
In general, the sports psychologist should be engaged in constant research and analysis to find the cutting edge science and technology that will positively enhance performance.
In conversation with Michelle McDonagh