Frequently Asked Questions
1. What does a sport and exercise psychology consultant do?
A sport and exercise psychology consultant works with an individual on a range of things dealing with sport and performance. We work with clients on pre-competition nerves, building confidence, increasing motivation, any fear around returning to sport after injury and more! Sessions are often a combination of talk therapy and learning mental skills (such as self-talk or goal setting) to help each client reach his/her potential. All of our consultants are registered with either the British Psychological Society (BPS) or the British Association for Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) as a trainee and/or are fully registered Practitioner Psychologists with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and therefore operate all work in line with the BPS, BASES, and HCPC Code of Ethics and Conduct.
The Optimise Potential Team are not clinical psychologists and so if a clinical issues presents itself, that client will be referred onwards. We are also not an emergency service, and so if you feel that you or someone you know is in immediate danger please call emergency services. For other ideas on how to find mental health support please see our MENTAL HEALTH tab.
2. How do I book a session? How many sessions/how often are the sessions?
Please fill in our contact form on our home page. We will get back to you within 1 to 2 working days. In the meantime please also check out the TEAMS page to learn about each practitioner.
On average, clients tend to work with us for about 6 to 8 sessions. But this can depend on what the issues are that the client is facing. We often see our clients every other week to allow for clients to implement the strategies discussed in the sessions and to allow for often very busy athletes to fit everything in!
3. Where are the sessions held?
PLEASE NOTE: WE ARE CURRENTLY ONLY OFFERING VIRTUAL SESSIONS.
4. Do virtual sessions work?
While we would love to see all of our clients in person, a lot of the time busy athlete schedules simply doesn't allow it! The majority of our clients have used virtual sessions for 5+ years and so we made the switch to all virtual during the pandemic. We find they work just as well (if not better!) as in-person sessions.
5. Do you only work with athletes?
Nope! We work with performers of all sorts including musicians and actors. We also work with those who want to become more motivated to exercise as well as businesses who want to understand how a Gold Medal Winning mentality can help them thrive.
6. How much are sessions?
Session fees depend on the consultant, but our rates start at £70/session. We do offer concession pricing when required. Please visit our bookings page for more information. All payment is paid via bank transfer. Please note we have late cancellation fees as well as overdue payment fees. Please check out "How We Work" page for more information. Unfortunately, private health insurance (such as BUPA or AXA) do not cover sport psychology sessions.
7. I am an aspirating Sport Psychologist, can I work with you?
Unfortunately, we don't currently have capacity for interns or work experience. Please do keep checking our EVENTS page as we sometimes host events that you can attend to learn more about the field and meet us!
8. What are your Terms & Conditions?
We have a 10% penalty fee for any payment that is not delivered in full within 28 days from a workshops and 7 days from a 1-2-1 session. Our no-show and cancellation policies commence 7 days from the scheduled workshop and 48 hours from the scheduled 1-2-1. If less notice is given, then the full amount will be charged. More detailed T&Cs will be sent on request.