Meet Dr. Paul McCarthy
Dr. Paul McCarthy is a dedicated sports psychology consultant with a passion for helping athletes achieve peak performance. With 25 years of experience in the field, Dr. McCarthy specialises in mental skills training, performance anxiety management, and goal setting strategies. His personalized approach focuses on empowering athletes to overcome challenges, build confidence, and reach their potential. Dr. McCarthy's expertise and guidance have helped numerous athletes at all levels excel in their respective sports. Discover how Dr. McCarthy can support you in achieving your athletic goals.
Who am I?
My name is Dr Paul McCarthy. I have spent the past 25 years supporting amateur and professional athletes throughout the UK, Ireland and across the globe. Many athletes seek help to raise confidence, increase motivation and improve concentration - to achieve these goals, however, we need to build healthy respect within the person. Finding the right person to support you in your time of need is a challenging and stressful undertaking, so I am happy to answer questions you have to set you at ease.
I am a chartered psychologist with the British Psychological Society. I am a practitioner psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council. I lecture on applied psychology and research within social and cognitive psychology, especially sport psychology. I have written and published over 120 research outputs (i.e., books, journals) in the general field of sport psychology.
How can I work with you?
I offer talking support over video-link and in person. Because I mainly use video-link, you can access my services from anywhere in the world. All you need is Wi-Fi or a phone signal. Following an initial assessment, I shall write a comprehensive report and we can co-create a treatment plan to support your needs and goals. We work typically by weekly appointments.
Which sports have I worked in?
I have been fortunate to work with athletes and teams from amateur to the highest professional levels the following sports American football, archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, bowls, boxing, camogie, canoeing, cricket, curling, cycling, darts, diving, equestrian, fencing, football, formula 1, Gaelic games, golf, gymnastics, hockey, horse racing, ice hockey, judo, karate, mixed martial arts, motorsport, netball, pool, rowing, rugby league, rugby union, sailing, shinty, shooting, skateboarding, snooker, climbing, squash, surfing, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, windsurfing, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting, winter sports, wrestling.
Which levels of sport have I worked within?
The athletes from these sports have competed at National, European, and World Championships, Commonwealth and Olympics Games, and every level of professional team from amateur to national and professional teams in the professional leagues.
Where do I work mostly now?
My current work commitments are mostly with high performing athletes, professional football players in the professional leagues with the UK and Europe. I am also committed to professional golfers playing in the international tours in the men's and ladies' games.
My TED Talk
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SPORT AND EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGIST
Working Well Together
When it comes to your health and overall well-being, it’s important to have a knowledgeable professional you can turn to. Over the years, I’ve provided psychological services to athletes, coaches and teams throughout the world. My expertise covers a broad spectrum of services, and I’m happy to share my experience and qualifications.
Here is a free course for those interested in improving at the mental game of golf
My work schedule means I cannot see every client who contacts me or perhaps some clients need a grounding in topics on motivation or confidence before we work together. Online courses are a useful way to get starting on the mental game in your sport.
I enjoy researching and writing research for publication. My research explores topics in psychology especially sport and exercise psychology. I have been keen to explore applied sport psychology, attention and concentration, alongside topics exploring challenge and threat states in athletes.
Some of my recent books
These are a few of the books I have published over the last few years on various topics in sport and exercise psychology.
PROJECTS
Guaranteed Excellence
SPORTING BOUNCE
Sporting Bounce is a directory of sport professionals working with athletes, coaches and teams the world over. You might find whom you need by looking through our directory. See here for more details.
THE GOOD ATHLETE
The Good Athlete is an online library of courses to work on in your time and build the skills you need to win at the mental game. This resource is growing all the time. See here for more details.