Athlete CBT Skill

This skill produces sport-contextualized Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) tools — structured worksheets, templates, and guided sequences — that a licensed counselor, coach, or athlete can use to identify, challenge, and reframe unhelpful thoughts and behaviors that limit athletic performance.

Clinical Foundation

CBT is an evidence-based approach grounded in the principle that thoughts → feelings → behaviors form a cycle. In athletic contexts, distorted cognitions (e.g., catastrophizing a strikeout, overgeneralizing from one bad outing) create emotional responses (anxiety, shame, avoidance) that manifest in performance behaviors (tentative swings, altered mechanics, disengagement). These tools interrupt that cycle.

This skill integrates:

• Standard CBT (thought records, cognitive restructuring, behavioral activation)

• Sport psychology applications (pre-performance routines, imagery scripts, self-talk protocols)

• Clinical assessment framing appropriate for a licensed counselor context (KMF-style: root cause, not just motivation)

Workflow

Step 1 — Identify the template type needed

If the user hasn't specified, infer from context using this guide:

Presenting challengeBest template(s)Performance anxiety / nerves before competitionPre-Competition Anxiety DefusionSlump / consecutive poor performancesThought Record + Behavioral ActivationInjury recovery / return to playInjury Identity WorksheetNegative self-talk / inner criticSelf-Talk Audit + Reframe ChainPressure situations / high stakes momentsPressure Reframe + Cue CardAdversity response / mental toughnessAdversity Processing SequencePurpose / motivation lossValues Clarification + Purpose AnchorTeammate / coach conflictCommunication CBT MapFull intake / initial assessmentAthlete Mental Performance Intake

If multiple templates fit, offer 2–3 options or build a combined sequence.

Step 2 — Gather athlete context (if available)

If the user provides athlete details (position, sport, age, specific situation), personalize accordingly. If not, build a general template with sport-agnostic language and placeholder brackets for customization.

Key personalizing details to incorporate when known:

• Sport / position (alters examples, language, metrics used)

• Age / development level (youth vs. collegiate vs. professional register)

• Specific trigger situation (e.g., "she freezes at the plate with RISP")

• Previous mindset work done (don't re-teach what they know)

• Clinical context (is this for self-use, coach-guided, or counselor-administered?)

Step 3 — Build the template

Use the reference templates in references/ as the structural foundation. Always:

1. Open with a grounding frame — brief explanation of why the template exists, written for the athlete's level

2. Use sport-specific language — "at-bat" not "situation", "dugout" not "waiting room", "between-pitch routine" not "pause"

3. Make the CBT mechanics visible but not clinical — athletes respond to structure; avoid jargon like "cognitive distortion" in favor of "your brain's bad calls"

4. Include a skill anchor — a brief physical or verbal cue the athlete can use in-moment (not just retrospective)

5. End with a commitment or next step — behavioral activation, not just insight

Read references/templates.md for the full library of structured template blocks.

Step 4 — Format and deliver

Default output: Markdown with clear section headers, fillable brackets [ATHLETE NAME], and instruction notes in italics for the coach/counselor.

If the user wants a printable worksheet: Create a .docx via the docx skill. Read /mnt/skills/public/docx/SKILL.md before generating.

If the user wants an interactive tool or visual: Build it as a React artifact using show_widget.

If the user wants multiple athletes / a group session: Create a cohort-facing version with shared framing and individual reflection sections.

Output Quality Standards

• Language must match the athlete's level (12-year-old vs. D-I vs. professional register)

• Every template must have at least one in-moment cue (something usable in the next 10 seconds of a game)

• Every template must have at least one retrospective section (post-competition processing)

• Clinical language is acceptable in counselor notes (italicized), not in athlete-facing text

• No empty platitudes ("believe in yourself") — every prompt must require the athlete to produce a specific thought, memory, or action

• KMF-aligned: templates should reflect that we're looking for root cause, not surface motivation

Reference Files

• references/templates.md — Full library of CBT template blocks (thought records, reframe chains, imagery scripts, cue cards, intake forms, etc.)

• references/sport-cbt-theory.md — Clinical rationale and evidence base for sport CBT applications

Read references/templates.md whenever building any template. Read references/sport-cbt-theory.md when the user asks for clinical backing, grant language, or wants to understand the "why" behind a tool.