Brief Guide to Offering Sport Psychology Support Online

Offering sport psychology provision online can be a fantastic way to bring clients and practitioners together who may otherwise not connect. It is great for practitioners to reach clients who may not be able to access their services because of travel or other constraints. Likewise, online provision is great for people who wish to access the service of a sport psychologist but who may not have one in their local area, or are traveling so frequently the convenience of online support really fits in with their life.  

Online provision is increasing and you can find specific information relating to practising as a psychologist online in the British Psychological Society’s Guidelines for practitioners.

Below are some brief thoughts that you may find helpful if you are planning to offer support online.

• Ensure that you have electronic consent forms and ways of billing clients electronically prior to consulting. Our partner site Performicity can help with this management. But it is not necessary if you have your own systems. Client paperwork should be emailed and signed before the first session. Options for payment include direct BACS transfer, or an electronic system like PayPal. 
• You should check with your professional indemnity insurance that you covered for offering support online. 
• Make sure that you feel comfortable seeing the client virtually. It may be that for some clients based on the initial enquiry (e.g., you suspect a clinical issue) it is best to refer someone for a face-to-face meeting. 
• Choose a secure video conferencing platform. We have discussed in a bit more detail issues relating to the type of platform here. 
• Set up an appropriate space for video consultations. It is important that this is quiet and you will not be disturbed during the sessions. Likewise, a private comfortable space for clients is important so please reinforce this. It is also important to think about the background – does this convey the professionalism you are after? Ensure the room is well lit as well so the client can see you clearly with the video angle suitable (i.e. the camera is not looking up your nostrils, or at the top of your head!). 
• Advertise your services. Well that is where we come in! We invest monthly to promote our site and your services.  
• Consider how you deal with technical difficulties. It may be possible to continue the session over the phone or alternatively reschedule.

 These are only some brief thoughts and we would be interested to hear about your thoughts and experiences in developing your online sport psychology support.

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