Public Engagement Placement: Session 3

Today was our final placement workshop, and it went really well! I led a session about emotional control today, and we used some of the session to get feedback from the pupils about the series of workshops.

It was identified by the girls’ coach, and by the girls themselves, that they struggle with emotional control, particularly after conceding a goal. Reframing anger and frustration was a key focus of today’s session, and the girls input some really interesting insights into their personal experiences. They play in a cup final tomorrow, and they all know that a lot is at stake. Hopefully, they can use some techniques and strategies learned today to help them with emotional control tomorrow, should they need it!

Evaluation is a hugely important aspect of service delivery. We used an adapted version of the sport psychology consultant effectiveness form to evaluate the impact of the workshops over the past few weeks. The pupils’ feedback is really valuable for our group portfolio, as we can assess the goals of the group, the work we delivered, and the clients’ perceptions of this in our written assessment. Pupils’ views, combined with qualitative feedback received via email from the teacher, will all go towards our understanding of the clients’ experiences throughout our work.

This series of workshops was my first experience of applied sport psychology work. I absolutely loved it! Working with teenage girls has its challenges, but this group in particular were so keen to learn and were open to new experiences. It was clear that they are willing to try anything that may have a positive impact on their footballing abilities, and sport psychology was certainly something they were interested in. As I progress through my journey in academia, I will remember my first applied placement and I will look back on it with positivity. I am not blind to the fact that not all work will go as smoothly as this has done, but, on the other hand, I am absolutely allowing myself to be pleased with the work I have done on this placement!