A COLLABORATION WITH A CLIMBING PSYCHOLOGIST

We are often asked how a long-term cooperation with a sport psychologist and a team, federation or gym can look like. What investment would you have to plan? Is it even worth this investment?

Essentially, these are all questions we cannot answer for you. But we would like to share an example – a very positive example – of a long-term cooperation with particularly one federation with you to give you more insights of how this could look like, what to look out for, how a cooperation can grow and flourish over the years, and the potential impact.

Over the past few years, we have worked very closely with this one federation – to be precise, almost 7,5 years. We have closely worked with youth athletes of different age, supporting them on their mental journey while competing nationally and internationally, helping them grow not only as an athlete but also as a confident, mature, proud human.

This photo was taken at the Youth Climbing Symposium in England, 2017.

Initially, our journey began with just a few sessions. We started with group workshops for the whole team, and some extra individual sessions for individual athletes' in cases of "emergency". All together, it was probably between 20-30 hours per year that was dedicated to sport psychology.

We absolutely acknowledge the significant investment and commitment required, especially when you consider that sport psychology's impact is only gradual and often indirect. We hence understand the reservations federations/gyms or teams may have, including concerns about immediate results and potential stigma associated with sport psychology and mental training.

However, our partnership with this one particular federation progressed, developed and incrementally increased and improved. Year by year, we've witnessed remarkable growth, with expanding opportunities to integrate sport psychology into various age groups and coaching programs. What began with coaching of the older youth team (14-18 year olds) has now also extended to younger athletes, aged 10-14, where we introduce them to mental tools in climbing through playful and engaging methods. What began with coaching for athletes only has now extended to also working with coaches, interdisciplinary with other experts from the local Olympic Center and aiming to also work with parents in the future. Sport psychological intervention now ranges from group workshops to individual 1:1 coachings to training camps, competition observations and training observations.

As a result, we've witnessed remarkable progress, with our athletes not only achieving outstanding results both nationally and internationally, making medals on European and world-wide stages, but also growing into confident, proud, self-reflective humans. While we believe that sport psychology is just one piece of the puzzle, its impact cannot be understated—it serves as an important resource, offering support for the mental, emotional, and social challenges inherent in climbing and competition.

For teams, federations, and gyms considering a collaboration with a sports psychologist, here are some essential points to consider:

1. Start small, scale gradually: You don't have to commit to a large number of hours immediately. Begin with a modest investment and incrementally increase based on athlete and coach feedback, needs and demand.

2. Open communication is key: As we always say, there's nothing more important that an honest, open communication to foster a good relationship – not only in the context coach-athlete, but also in the context sport psychologist – coach/team/federation/gym. Collaboration thrives on open dialogue and feedback from all parties involved. Encourage transparency, adaptability, and a willingness to refine approaches based on shared insights and needs.

3. Inclusive approach: Involve all stakeholders—coaches, parents, and athletes—in the process. A comprehensive partnership ensures long-lasting benefits and fosters a supportive environment allowing growth and success. In our experience, we've embraced interdisciplinary collaboration, actively engaging with coaches but also other professionals, e.g. nutritionists, and prioritizing the well-being of the climbers above all else.

We're so proud of the steps we've made together, and we are looking forward to continuing this journey!

Get in contact with us if you have any questions or believe that something like this could be interesting to you too!

We are looking forward to hearing from you!