The Role of Sport Psychology in Physiotherapy: An Interview with a Specialist
- SPRINT project
- Jun 20
- 5 min read
When we think about physiotherapy, we often focus on physical recovery - strength, mobility, and pain management. However, the mental aspect of rehabilitation is just as crucial. Sport psychology techniques, such as goal setting, motivation strategies, and visualization, are increasingly being used by physiotherapists to help patients stay engaged and achieve better outcomes.
To explore this further, I spoke with Dr Sheeba Rosewilliam, an experienced physiotherapist who integrates sports psychology into her practice. Here’s what she had to say.
Could you give us a brief introduction of who you are and your role as a physiotherapist?
“My name is Dr Sheeba Rose William, I am one of the associate professors here at the School of Sports, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences.”
“My background is as a physio, and I have taught physiotherapists for the past 20 years. My PhD research was in goal setting for stroke patients. I have been working clinically as a physio for about 12 years and have been in academia for 20.”
During your time as a physio, how have you incorporated sports psychology techniques like goal setting?
“As a physio goal setting is a very integral part, when I trained it was taken very loosely, nobody insisted on goal setting as much as now in the past 15 to 20 years. We would just do things the traditional way, but now care is being more patient centred.”
“I started involving the patients more, I would ask them; what would you like to know? And what would you like to achieve at the end of our time working together?”
“So, every initial assessment would be completed with goals. When I became an academic, I insisted that goal setting should become integral for every student because I am a neuro physio. You cannot build the bridge between assessment and treatment without the goals.”
What type of goals tend to be the most effective for rehabilitation?
“Patients often can’t voice their goals directly or formulate goals, so as trained physios we support them. We do this through goal discussion, goal negotiation and framing of goals. We classify goals, especially in neurology, as long term, short term and medium term goals”
“I think you should build goals with what works with the patient, because the patient knows what they are doing. If you're teaching them stretching exercises and they don't think that's contributing to something six months down the line, they won't do it. So, I think building a patient centred goal breaking it down into smaller chunks and starting from that would be the best way to set goals.”
Have you noticed a difference in patient adherence or motivation when you set these goals?
“I would say definitely, because they are setting their goals for themselves. We're just supporting them by giving them options and choices and building actions from them. I've also noticed from my research if your goals are not patient centred, or if the patient is not in alignment with the goals, it can lead to really serious consequences. Patients can turn down treatments and not turn up. They can become very unsatisfied and grumpy, ultimately it can affect their recovery as well. If there is no congruence in goal setting, the compliance is less. This is seen in practice and literature suggests this as well”
What advice would you give if someone wants to start incorporating goal setting into their practice?
“So, I start teaching this right from first year because it is a key block of physiotherapy management. Without goals you don't know what you're going to do and the patient doesn't know what they're meant to do as well. The bridge between assessment and treatment is a good goal setting process”
“I insist on using the ICF model. It helps you to look at goals more wholistically and patient centred. It is very individualistic; you’ll be thinking about environmental modifications, functional abilities and participatory abilities.”
“The second thing is, the goals you make need to be SMART goals (note: SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) so teach the acronym SMART. If the goal is measurable, you can show progress to the patient, which is motivational for the patient and gives them confidence, then you can build your goals progressively. If you use an outcome measure to show the patient ‘look you’ve done so well’, I think that is the best way to motivate the patient.”
Are there any other sports psychology techniques that you use in your practice?
“Yes, I think it’s not just about goal setting, but self-efficacy. So, motivation and using motivational interviewing. We work with hope theories. Also using group therapy, so that they learn from others and support each other, and then they don’t feel like they are alone. The reassurance and hope that you give the patient is really important because it sustains them. But when practicing as a physiotherapist, there are a lot of theories we apply, but we don’t think out loud that we are going to apply ‘this’ theory.”
When applying these techniques are there any barriers you face and how do you overcome them?
“Specifically with goal setting, sometimes the patient is on a different page. I have had so many patients tell me ‘I'm not young, why would I set a goal? I don't play sports, why would I set a goal?’ they don’t think goal setting is something for a patient because of the name itself. You might be thinking differently from the patient, you may think a patient needs to do something and the patient might not be able to do it or motivated to.”
“You need to have a relationship with the patient and that takes time, but the NHS doesn’t give you that much time, there are ways around this, we usually ask for the patient history which covers the leisure and psychosocial aspects, but generally you do not have the time to build a therapeutic relationship where you can formulate goals. Also, with goal setting you need to have review points, but because resources are limited you are not able to follow-up with them as frequently as you would like. This can be overcome by remote follow-ups and self-management strategies. So there are strategies to overcome these barriers but they’re not perfect. Another barrier you find in goal setting is that some goals are unrealistic.”
From our conversation, it’s clear that sports psychology is not just for elite athletes. It is a valuable tool in physiotherapy that helps patients stay motivated, focused, and engaged in their recovery. Whether it's setting realistic goals, or maintaining a positive mindset, these strategies can make a significant difference in patient outcomes. You can find a free interactive tool on our website to help you start setting smart goals today!
A big thank you to Sheeba who took the time to take part in this interview! If you would like to learn more, please do not hesitate to take a look at some of our other posts on goal setting.
Written by Duro Thompson
Teaching kids to tell time on an analog clock can be a bit tricky in our digital age! I found that using an interactive analog clock online really helped my niece grasp the concept. Being able to move the hour and minute hands themselves and see the time change makes it much more engaging and understandable than just looking at a static picture. Many of these tools also have modes to hide the digital time, so kids have to figure it out from the hands, which is great practice. It’s a fun and effective learning aid!