Utilising REBT in the sports world
Betsy Tuffrey reviews The Rational Practitioner: The Sport and Performance Psychologist’s Guide To Practicing Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy by Dr Martin Turner. Published by Routledge.
19 May 2023
It's no secret that athletes often carry a heavy burden of hope and expectation – from themselves, and from others. Those familiar with Dr Martin Turner's work to date could also be forgiven for holding the prospect of his book, The Rational Practitioner: The Sport and Performance Psychologist's Guide To Practicing Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy with a degree of expectation too – and true to form, Turner has delivered a comprehensive, interesting, and practical read.
This book offers the reader a one-stop shop for rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) methods – particularly in relation to the world of sport. The reader gains a detailed understanding of REBT principles and their application.
What I enjoyed most was the consistent use of practical examples in context, which offer an almost anecdotal angle rarely offered in REBT literature to date – particularly in sport and performance. As a practitioner in the world of elite sport, such examples offer an invaluable real-life tone which is both educational and somewhat reassuring.
Turner's written examples of typical session frameworks and clear disputation techniques not only bring to life what REBT practice looks and sounds like, but also condenses a wealth of his REBT knowledge and experience, offering the reader the practical 'gems' of his work. As I journeyed through the well-structured chapters of this book, there were frequent references to what you might hear from clients or coaches when utilising REBT in sporting contexts.
This may sound like simple observation, but this really is invaluable given the scant existence of the use of this therapy in the sports world. A special mention also goes to Casper Essam, whose illustrations have brilliantly captured and complemented the material, bringing true life to the pages.
Whether you are a seasoned REBT practitioner, or looking for more information and context, you will be far richer for reading this fantastic contribution to REBT literature. It is a book which will take pride of place on my bookshelf, and I imagine will rarely sit long enough to gather dust.
Reviewed by Betsy Tuffrey, a sport and exercise psychologist at Seed Psychology Ltd.
