Consulting Case Study

Certified Mental Performance Consultants® (CMPCs) advise and guide teams and organizations to help solve problems, develop solutions, and improve team performance. Examples of activities include coach education regarding talent development, identifying, measuring, and aligning performance of team members with the goals of the organization, and systems interventions (e.g., parent education regarding youth sport participation)

High School Sports

A high school soccer team is struggling to connect after interpersonal conflict from player to player, player to coach, and coach to player. The team is on a four-game losing streak and experienced some serious teammate turmoil on the field in the last game. A CMPC was brought in to assess the team culture and provide skills and strategies to build a strong and more supportive team environment. 

1. Initial Assessment: The CMPC meets with the captains, the seniors, and the head coach individually to gain perspective and understand the current situation. The CMPC then asks permission to meet with the team as a whole to have a group intervention to assess the team needs.  
2. Understanding Team Cohesion and Culture: The CMPC conducts a group intervention and instructs players and coaches to share their perspective with each other only using “I” statements and speaking from a first-person perspective. The CMPC shares guidelines and expectations to keep a safe and trusting environment between teammates and coaches. Teammates and coaches were able to share a kind and honest truth around language and behaviors that have been effective for the team in a negative way. CMPC guides the conversation away from personal references to what affects the team as a whole. The CMPC then schedules a follow-up meeting with captains and coaches to debrief session and schedule another session to build team cohesion. 
3. Building Team Cohesion: The CMPC creates mental skills sessions to teach and build on the skills of trust, confidence, and communication to enhance overall team connection and performance. The CMPC prompts each player to share how they will work hard for their teammates and show how action leads to a desired outcome.  
4. Debrief of Activity: The CMPC debriefs with the coaches and captains to discuss how to maintain trust and support within the team. The CMPC shares the difficulty of being a thermostat (change of environment) vs. a thermometer (accepting the environment) and the leadership behind taking action to support a strong and supportive team culture. 
5. Support System: The CMPC encourages the team and coaches to develop supportive and direct language to use on the field to communicate effectively and show support to one another throughout the game. The CMPC also encouraged the team to share what is supportive and what type of feedback they need.  
6. Progress Monitoring: The CMPC checks in with the team and coaches weekly to track progress in relationships, communication, and camaraderie. 

Outcome: The team starts to communicate more effectively leading to stronger and more consistent play on the field. The team ended up winning the regular season and conference championships that year.