The Good Athlete

The Good Athlete Dr Paul McCarthy PhD MSc BSc is a chartered psychologist working in sport, education and business settings.

Most of his work is online and he works with clients across the world. Dr Paul McCarthy PhD MSc BSc is chartered sport and exercise psychologist with the British Psychological Society. He is a practitioner psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council. He works with athletes, teams and companies acorss the world. He also lectures on psychology and researches within social and cognitive

psychology, especially sport psychology. He has over 50 publications and has published 10 books on sport psychology.

Why does one bad performance feel like everything's falling apart? In “The Shame Cycle in Athletes” Dr Paul McCarthy exp...
19/06/2026

Why does one bad performance feel like everything's falling apart? In “The Shame Cycle in Athletes” Dr Paul McCarthy explores how shame takes hold, why athletes are vulnerable, and practical steps to break the cycle and regain resilience. Read the full article for evidence-based strategies and real-world examples. https://wix.to/YozRMrE

Sport holds a unique power to elevate and diminish in the same moment. Athletes who pour years of effort into their craft often find that a single poor performance carries a weight far exceeding its objective significance. Research suggests that 65% of athletes report feeling embarrassment after poo...

Who we are as therapists—and how we show up—matters. New on the blog: Therapeutic Use of Self explores how therapist ide...
18/06/2026

Who we are as therapists—and how we show up—matters. New on the blog: Therapeutic Use of Self explores how therapist identity, relational stance, and presence shape outcomes and deepen connection in sessions. Read practical insights and research-informed guidance to strengthen your practice. https://wix.to/PKo3fn2

Research tells us that therapists account for approximately 8% of the variability in psychotherapy outcomes, while the therapeutic relationship explains an additional 15%[1]. Considered together, these figures point to something practitioners across all orientations would do well to take seriously ....

Virtual Sport Psychology: The Essential Guide to Building Stronger Client Connections — new on the blog. Learn practical...
17/06/2026

Virtual Sport Psychology: The Essential Guide to Building Stronger Client Connections — new on the blog. Learn practical strategies for building therapeutic rapport online, improving session structure, and keeping athletes engaged through video. A must-read for sport psychologists, coaches and practitioners moving to telepractice. Read more: https://wix.to/evn7RVt

About 60% of athletes now choose online sessions to be practical, yet virtual sport psychology demands more than technical competence[37]. The change from traditional to digital service delivery raises a critical question: how do we build and maintain strong therapeutic relationships through screens...

Want to run more effective online sports psychology workshops? Learn a step-by-step approach to facilitating group dynam...
17/06/2026

Want to run more effective online sports psychology workshops? Learn a step-by-step approach to facilitating group dynamics, building trust, and keeping athletes engaged in virtual settings. Practical techniques, activities, and troubleshooting tips inside. Read the full guide: https://wix.to/Y8PuC1i

Recent data shows athletes have increased their participation in development initiatives dramatically since lockdown periods began[29]. So sports psychology courses must adapt to meet this growing need in virtual settings. A big gap remains in how group dynamics are addressed in professional sport p...

How do coaches build trust and teamwork when the team is scattered across time zones? Discover practical tactics from sp...
16/06/2026

How do coaches build trust and teamwork when the team is scattered across time zones? Discover practical tactics from sport psychology to boost communication, trust and on-field performance — even remotely. Read the full guide: https://wix.to/GehQcRa

Teams with high trust levels in sports and teamwork settings report a 30% increase in communication quality[25]. Building this trust remotely presents unique challenges for coaches who manage virtual teams. Physical distance changes how we encourage teamwork and cooperation in sports, but the princi...

Feeling the pressure before a big game? Learn evidence-based mental strategies athletes use to manage sport anxiety and ...
12/06/2026

Feeling the pressure before a big game? Learn evidence-based mental strategies athletes use to manage sport anxiety and perform at their best. From pre-performance routines to practical breathing and visualization techniques, this article breaks down tools you can apply today. Read more: https://wix.to/oVfeHvG

Sport anxiety emerges as a phenomenon we encounter regularly when working with client-athletes across all competitive levels. Research demonstrates that approximately 91% of athletes experience some degree of stress related to their sports participation [4], which means we, as practitioners, will in...

How do players handle the pressure of the penalty spot at the World Cup? In my latest post I break down conversion rates...
11/06/2026

How do players handle the pressure of the penalty spot at the World Cup? In my latest post I break down conversion rates, the drop from regular play to shootouts, and the psychological factors that change everything when elimination is on the line. Read the full analysis and stats — a must for fans, coaches, and players. https://wix.to/vEGfjIs

So where should we begin when examining the penalty spot's psychological demands? Players convert penalties 85% of the time during regular play, yet this success rate drops dramatically to 76% during shootouts [31]. The statistics reveal something more profound than mere numbers might suggest. When....

What is Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and how can it help you reframe the thoughts that cause distress? In ou...
10/06/2026

What is Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and how can it help you reframe the thoughts that cause distress? In our latest blog, Dr Paul McCarthy explains the principles of REBT, how to identify irrational beliefs, and practical strategies to replace them with healthier thinking—plus real-world examples you can start using today. Read more: https://wix.to/OElydvn

What is Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)?Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy is an action-oriented psychotherapeutic approach focused on identifying, challenging, and replacing irrational beliefs that cause emotional distress and maladaptive behaviors [1]. The therapy operates on the premise t...

What separates pro athletes from the rest isn’t talent alone — it’s the words they use with themselves. Discover why sel...
09/06/2026

What separates pro athletes from the rest isn’t talent alone — it’s the words they use with themselves. Discover why self-talk in sport goes beyond simple positivity and how deliberate mental strategies build consistency under pressure. Read the full article: https://wix.to/dS4nRyS

Trainees occasionally ask why self-talk in sport requires such deliberate attention rather than simply encouraging athletes to "think positive." It seems reasonable to assume that motivational phrases and upbeat mantras constitute the essence of mental training. But it is precisely because athletes....

Remote sport psychology is growing fast — but are our ethical standards keeping up? Read my latest post on non-maleficen...
08/06/2026

Remote sport psychology is growing fast — but are our ethical standards keeping up? Read my latest post on non-maleficence in teletherapy and practical guidance for practitioners delivering remote sport psychology: https://wix.to/8kZbPiJ

Key takeaways: risk assessment, informed consent for remote care, privacy & tech safeguards, and adapting interventions to avoid harm. A must-read for clinicians working with athletes online.

Teletherapy use has increased among psychology practitioners, but this rapid expansion brings the principle of non maleficence into sharp focus for remote sport psychology delivery. New technology changes the way sport psychology services are provided to the public. Ethical standards must be develop...

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