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Alice and John meet for their initial counselling session. The session begins with reviewing and signing the counselling contract which covers official things such as confidentiality, payment, the counselling approach and the professional relations policy. Once this is complete, Alice opens the conversation by asking John, "What's brought you to counselling today?"

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John explains that he has one main concern: he struggles to be fully present while playing football. Instead, he finds himself constantly worrying and isn't sure why this is happening or how to manage it.

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From there, Alice and John work together to explore different aspects of John's experience, including:

 

• When the issue first began and how long it has been affecting him.

• What John is specifically worried about. For example, there is an important distinction between a fear of physical pain and a fear of failure, as each is often linked to different underlying beliefs.

• John's broader life circumstances and whether they may be contributing to his sporting anxiety.

• Whether these worries affect other areas of John's life outside of football.

• What strategies John has tried in the past, what has or hasn't been helpful, and how those experiences differ from what he is currently facing.
   

These are just a few examples of the types of questions that may be explored. They are designed to help identify the origins of the issue and develop a deeper understanding of John's experience.

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Throughout the session, Alice uses counselling microskills to create a safe, supportive environment where John feels comfortable speaking openly. She also draws on appropriate counselling frameworks to guide the conversation and help John make sense of his concerns.

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Towards the end of the session, Alice may introduce a strategy from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to provide John with practical tools for managing his anxiety between sessions. Alternatively, if she believes there is still more to understand about John's situation, she may choose to conclude the session by summarising what has been discussed and continue exploring the issue in the next appointment.

John decides to book another session with Alice the following week.

The session begins with a debrief about the past week and John's current state of mind. John reflects on his football match from the weekend, discussing the challenges he experienced and the thoughts and emotions that arose during the game.

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Through guided exploration, John recognises that much of his anxiety stems from feeling the need to win in order to gain approval from others. Together, Alice and John identify that these performance concerns are closely linked to underlying self-esteem issues.

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With a clearer understanding of the source of John's anxiety, Alice uses an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) approach to help John develop a different relationship with his thoughts. Rather than trying to eliminate anxious thoughts, John learns how to acknowledge and accept them while continuing to focus on playing in line with his values.

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To support this, Alice introduces practical ACT-based strategies, including a grounding exercise, box breathing, and a personalised pre-game routine. Together, they agree that John will practise these strategies during his next match and review how they worked in the following session.

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At the following session, John reports that although he still experienced some anxiety during his game, it felt much more manageable. Understanding the source of his anxiety and applying the strategies developed with Alice helped him stay focused and respond more effectively when anxious thoughts arose.

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John feels he now has the skills and confidence to manage these emotions independently. However, he would like to continue attending occasional sessions to monitor his progress and seek support if his anxiety begins to increase again.

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Together, Alice and John agree to transition to a maintenance phase, scheduling follow-up sessions every one to two months to review his progress, reinforce helpful strategies, and address any new challenges that may arise.

This example presents an idealised scenario. In practice, counselling rarely follows such a straightforward path or is resolved within three sessions. Clients often uncover multiple interconnected issues that require additional time to explore in depth.

This case is intended to illustrate what a brief intervention may look like and how counselling can support an athlete in understanding and managing a specific concern.