Karen MacNeill, PhD., R. Psych
Karen has been working with athletes at the local, provincial and national level since 1997. Karen has a private practice in Calgary, AB, maintains contracts with the National Sport School and 2 Sport Therapy Clinics, and will be managing sport psychology services for the Vanoc medical team at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
What education did you complete and what qualifications do you have?
Education:
Bachelor of Physical Education – U. of Calgary, Masters of Arts – Human Kinetics - U. of Ottawa
Masters of Science- counselling psychology- U. of Calgary, PhD in Counselling Psychology- U. of British Columbia
Qualification and training:
Registered Psychologist, Member of Psychological Association of Alberta, Member of CSPA, Critical incident stress management certificate, EMDR certificate
What is your philosophy to working with athletes?
I take an athlete centred approach which involves a collaborative effort in establishing the nature of our work, issue identification, and interventions that will be used. I see my role to serve the following functions: a) help the athlete become the best expert on themselves (e.g., strengths, weaknesses, triggers and how they interact with their environment) b) help athlete develop tools and mental skills to optimize performance and manage distractions or interferences to performance, training, or well-being, c) to address specific problems or issues as needed (ie. conflict with coach, mental health issues, relationship issue etc).
What are your thoughts/views of the upcoming Olympics?
With a total of 24 medals, Canada achieved its best results at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino. Improved funding, programming, and enthusiasm seem to be providing opportunity for Canadian athletes to reach a high degree of performance excellence. As Vancouver is hosting the Olympics in 2010, expectations for continued results will be immense. With an increase in time and resources being devoted to the 2010 Games, key stakeholders will expect a high return on investment. Athletes will not only feel increased pressure to produce, but there will also be more "home country" demands such as receptions, friends and family needs, and Olympic celebration events. Athletes will need to structure schedules so to manage distractions, conserve energy, and maintain optimal focus. They also need to capitalize on the factors that will create an advantage such as having a familiar environment (train at event site, know how to access resources needed etc), crowd support, and increased resources. To minimize the home field "disadvantages" it will be important to manage expectations, support demands, home country responsibilities, fear of failure, and pressure of having the "home advantage". This can be done by focus on process and key performance factors that lead to optimal performance, using strategies to manage arousal and energy levels, and maintain optimal perspective to name a few things.
