Meta Description: A number of models have been developed offering an understanding of the psychological responses of athletes to injury. . With the increased acceptance of the importance of recognizing negative psychological responses to injury, there has been a push toward increasing the ability of certified athletic trainers to work with the psychological side of the rehabilitation process.
A number of models have been developed offering an understanding of the psychological responses of athletes to injury. These responses include anger, frustration, loss of identity, anxiety, feelings of hopelessness and depression ranging anywhere on a spectrum from mild or non-clinical to severe, all of which have negative effects on injury recovery. With the increased acceptance of the importance of recognizing negative psychological responses to injury, there has been a push toward increasing the ability of certified athletic trainers to work with the psychological side of the rehabilitation process.
While counseling the injured athlete on noncontroversial issues or administering basic psychological skills training (like goal setting, imagery, etc.) may pose no inherent ethical or legal danger to the athletic trainer or team physician, the more emotionally charged clinical issues (like eating disorders, drug abuse, depression) should certainly warrant treatment only by qualified counselors and psychologists.