Doing Exercise Psychology

According to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, “If exercise could be packaged into a pill, it would be the single most widely prescribed and beneficial medicine in the nation.” Yet the incorporation of physical activity into a regular routine proves difficult for many. Bringing together a field of experts, Doing Exercise Psychology uses applied theories alongside authentic client interactions to address the challenging psychological components of physical activity.

Doing Exercise Psychology helps students understand how to build connections with individual clients, strengthen the professional relationship through listening, and understand clients’ needs. The text features diverse topics, bridging health psychology and exercise psychology and demonstrating the increasingly important role of physical activity in overall wellness and health.

The first chapter is devoted to the development of mindfulness as a practitioner, while another addresses the difficulties professionals encounter with their own inactivity, encouraging self-reflection in order to be more helpful and open with clients. A key feature of many chapters in Doing Exercise Psychology is the in-the-trenches dialogue between practitioner and client, accompanied by follow-up commentary on what went right and what went wrong in particular sessions. Through these real-world scenarios, students will witness firsthand the methods that are most effective in communicating with clients. The text also explores complex questions such as these:

• What are the implications and consequences of using exercise as a component of psychological therapies?

• How can practitioners help clients with impaired movement abilities as a result of chronic conditions or illness embrace physical activity as part of their therapy or their lives?

• How can exercise be incorporated in therapies to change nutrition, smoking, and alcohol habits?

• Why are some exercise protocols that are extremely effective for some but not for others?

• How can relationships, interrelatedness, and attunement to others be vehicles for healthy change in whatever kind of therapy is being done?

The book is arranged so that information flows progressively, covering major themes early and then applying them to the field. Part I introduces the relationship-building motif by covering the variety of relationships that one might find in exercise and physical activity settings. Part II addresses specific conditions and behavior change, with suggestions for encouraging activity in those who are also working to quit smoking, reduce alcohol consumption, or modify their nutrition habits. Part III deals directly with chronic and major medical conditions that professionals will contend with on a regular basis, including cancer, heart disease, and multiple sclerosis. Part IV delves into the dark side of exercise, such as overtraining, exercise dependence, and eating disorders.

A growing and exciting area of study, exercise psychology covers all the psychosocial, intra- and interpersonal, and cultural variables that come into play when people get together and exercise. Students and practitioners who work with individuals in exercise settings will find Doing Exercise Psychology a vital resource to refer to repeatedly in their practice.

Mark B. Andersen, PhD, is an adjunct professor at Halmstad University in Sweden. He lives in Australia and collaborates intercontinentally with his Swedish colleagues in the areas of research, training, and supervision in applied sport and exercise psychology.

Andersen is a registered psychologist in Australia and is licensed to practice psychology in the United States. He is the former editor of the Professional Practice section of the international journal The Sport Psychologist. He has published seven books, two monographs, and more than 170 refereed journal articles and book chapters. He has made more than 100 national and international conference presentations, including 15 invited keynote addresses on four continents. He received his doctorate from the University of Arizona in 1988 and immigrated to Australia in 1994.

Stephanie J. Hanrahan, PhD, is an associate professor holding a joint appointment with the Schools of Human Movement Studies and Psychology at the University of Queensland, where she has worked since 1990. She was a UQ Teaching Excellence Award winner in 1997 and is the co-author or co-editor of nine books, including Biophysical Foundations of Human Movement in 2013. Her work also appears in articles, book chapters, and conference papers. She is a registered psychologist in Australia and a certified consultant with the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. She has run applied workshops in more than 10 countries. She completed her doctorate at the University of Western Australia in the area of attributional style in sport.