Sport Psychology at GCPSH: Clive Jones

As a registered psychologist, Clive has a doctorate specialising in sport psychology. He is a member of the Australian Psychological Society’s College of Sport Psychologists and the Australian Psychological Society’s College of Counselling Psychologists. Clive is also a preferred sport psychology provider with the Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) and holds the position of Assistant Professor of Sport Psychology through the Faculty of Health Sciences & Medicine at Bond University. Since 1994, Clive has provided confidential mental health services for athletes while writing regularly in sporting magazines and scientific journals on sound mental health strategies for elite competitors. He has also researched into the biopsychosocial variables of stress and burnout in elite athletic performance.

Working with state, national and internationally competitive athletes, teams, coaches and their families, Clive has incorporated a broad range of clientele including adults, adolescents and children across a variety of sports.

His focus of approach examines psychological features of the athlete that are crucial to elite sporting performance. Specifically, Clive focuses on three key areas of high performance psychology in his practice. These include:
1. Mental processes that create and enhance the development of expert performance over time,
2. Mental skills that facilitate optimum sporting performance during specific competitions, and
3. Mindsets that deal effectively with critical issues and setbacks during competition and over the long path of an athletic career.

Dealing with a broad range of issues, Clive always emphasises the importance of sound mental health for peak performance, particularly in those areas where significant drops in performance may occur. For example, burnout, loss of motivation, anxiety, depression, excessive stress, aggressive behaviour, addictions, coping with injuries, grief, loss, relational conflicts are common areas of focus along with many other psychological and/or interpersonal issue that are faced by elite competitors, coaches, support staff and their families.

Utilising psychological assessments when necessary, Clive also provides extensive mental skills training to enhance the athlete’s self confidence, motivation, commitment, focus, emotional regulation, resilience and overall mental preparedness for elite level competition and training.

Clive is available at the Runaway Bay clinic Saturdays from 8am to 2pm.