David Charlton – Me and my role as a Sports Psychologist

I don’t give huge amount away about myself and my role as a Sports Psychologist so thought I’d do so today…  In August 2007, my life changed dramatically, I’d been married for 4 years to Alex, she had been suffering from cluster migraines for 6 weeks according to our GP at the time.  Then one day her mum called me to say that she had fainted and that we needed to rush her to hospital.  I was at work, my role then was as a Branch Manager at Carlson Wagonlit Travel, a corporate travel company.  I dashed home and we took her to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle Upon Tyne.  24 hours later my head was spinning as she was lucky to survive a terrible evening as she had several seizures.  We then went on to receive awful news over the next week that she had terminal cancer.  I was shaken to the core, to say the least.  Alex sadly died 15 months later after fighting a brave battle with the illness.

Why am I telling you this? During those hugely difficult 15 months, I was a carer for Alex which meant I had a lot of time on my hands when she was recovering from chemotherapy, radiotherapy and numerous operations.  We spent a lot of time ticking off things on her bucket list and enjoying her last days as much as we could.  I also spent a lot of time thinking about the future, worrying on occasions and day dreaming too.  I felt guilty as I knew I had a future and Alex didn’t.  One thing I began to look into more and more was my future career and the field of Sports Psychology, I read many books on the topic and researched who was doing it well.  Here are some examples of some of the books that I read and still go back to today from time to time:

In Pursuit of Excellence: How to Win in Sport and Life Through Mental Training – Terry Orlick

Golf is Not a Game of Perfect – Bob Rotella

Applied Sport Psychology: Personal Growth to Peak Performance – Jean Williams

I also completed some short courses on psychology at the Open University to see if my brain was still working properly after over 10 years of being out of an educational environment!  The seed had been sowed I was sure I wanted to become a Sports Psychologist and support elite athletes.  In April 2009. I was then given the news that my role at Carlson Wagonlit would be no longer as they decide to shift our operations to a call centre near London.  So in October 2009 my journey to become a Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist began as I started a BSc Psychology degree at the University of Sunderland.

At the time did I know what a Sports Psychologist did?

I’d done a lot of research but in my mind it was all about helping athletes on a 1-2-1 basis likely in an environment which was away from their sport.  In a comfy chair or so I thought! How wrong was I…

15 years on here are the different places I’ve found myself working and some of the ways that I have gone about things.

1. On golf courses having fun with teams setting up different skills challenges with golf coaches sometimes with oversized equipment, balance pads, hammers etc.
2. On football pitches with individual footballers challenging players to improve their skills (practicing keepie uppies and working on their touch under pressure as an example).
3. In the cricket nets helping players control their emotions better and remain present despite sledging taking place .
4. On my bike, chasing triathletes whilst understanding their thought processes in different situations (on steep inclines).
5. Observing coaching staff and player behaviours and communication in professional football, rugby and cricket stadiums.
6. Attending professional tournaments and a major, the British Open Golf Championship as part of a support team helping professional golfers.
7. On Boccia courts leading training sessions and drilling performance routines.
8. Hiking hills with clients as we be mindful and explore the outdoors and their mental strategies in a relaxed environment.
9. Not so glamourous – in cold and sweaty changing rooms leading group sessions when you can’t see everyone in the room.
10. A very common place since the COVID days – on my laptop doing many zoom calls supporting clients around the globe.  Sometimes when it is snowy at home (it is now as I type this!), outdoors, yet boiling hot and very sunny outside for the client who is on the other side of the world on a golf course or surfing in the sea (very jealous I can get in those circumstances!).   

What is important to me? At the heart of my professional philosophy and my work are my core values: Excellence, Empathy, Fun, Freedom and Trustworthiness.

Excellence – this drives everything that I do, where I always look to be the best version of myself and with my clients supporting and challenging them to strive for excellence.

Empathy – seeking to understand what other people feel and experience, their view of the world and seeing things from their point of view is a vital ingredient of being a good practitioner.  I’d like to think my life experiences have shaped me in this respect and have improved my line of questioning so that I can get into the head of my clients better.

Fun – life is short, as I appreciate more than most and enjoying what you are doing is essential in my book.  In sport, the intense pressures and scrutiny especially in professional sport can ensure the joy is short lived.  A bug bear of mine is – children aren’t allowed to be children today where there is far too much pressure on them from an early age especially in sporting environments.  Let them play I say!  As a consequence my role is often helping them overcome fears and get the playful side of their personality out.

Freedom – Being at the head of my own organisation gives me freedom, yes there are certain tasks that I don’t enjoy doing and are mandatory however I also have got myself into a position where I can live around my work not let my work dictate my life.  It’s a nice place to be.  It hasn’t always been that way and it’s been very difficult at times however I’m very grateful for my freedom now as it stands.  For clients, playing with freedom and trust is one of the biggest things that I encounter and help people with.  I’ve been there as a decent golfer (2 handicap now) and it’s not a nice place to be when you play your sport with your hands tied behind your back in a straight jacket.  A huge part of my role I find is to help clients free themselves up and play with a smile on their face.

Trustworthiness:

This is the big, big thing as a practitioner psychologist registered with the Health Care Professions Council as I am.  We’re bound by high professional STANDARDS.  Ethics, confidentiality and privacy are integral to our work.  For those interested in the field of Sports Psychology or looking to work with someone please do check the credentials of who you work with out, it’s hugely important – there are many people out there who have read a book or listened to some podcasts and try to sell themselves as Sports Psychologists.