The effectiveness of counseling based on REBT on improving the mental health and performance of an elite tennis player: a single-subject experimental design

Document Type : other

Authors
Mohsen Parvazishandi 1
Reza Khakpour 2
Seyed Mohammad Kazem VaezMousavi 3
1 PhD Candidate in Counseling and Guidance, Department of Counseling and Guidance, Roudehen Branch, Islamic Azad University, Roudehen, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Counseling and Guidance Department, Roudehen Branch, Islamic Azad University, Roudehen, Iran
3 Professor, Imam Hossein University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of counseling grounded in rational emotive behavioral therapy on the mental health and performance of a high-level tennis player. The study employed a single-case experimental design, with participants drawn from elite tennis athletes through convenience sampling following an initial evaluation. Data were gathered through questionnaires assessing general health, irrational beliefs related to performance, as well as performance scores at baseline, intervention, and at a three-month follow-up. Both visual and statistical analyses indicated that counseling based on rational emotive behavioral therapy positively influenced athletic performance, mental health, and the reduction of irrational beliefs in both the short term and at the three-month follow-up. Furthermore, the results of social validation data collected from both athlete and the coach indicated that the athlete was satisfied with the interventions and attributed the changes in his performance, beliefs, and totally general health to these interventions.

Keywords

journal of olympic studies
Volume 3, Issue 2
studies of Olympic
Summer 2025
Pages 119-142

  • Receive Date 04 February 2025
  • Revise Date 12 March 2025
  • Accept Date 09 April 2025