In contrast to sports psychology, sports counseling's focus is on the athlete's development as an individual, including personal and clinical issues associated with sport performance. It also addresses interpersonal issues such as family and marital difficulty. In addition, counseling can assist with problem prevention, coping skills, relaxation training, decision-making, life management and career planning, therapeutic strategies, and crisis intervention. Ineffective attempts to deal with stress can result in the abuse of alcohol and other drugs. Timely assessments and treatment by sports counselors can provide student-athletes with educational programs and information about drugs and substance abuse treatment.
Transitional periods are particularly stressful for student-athletes.
For example, many high school stars make limited progress on a college team while others have trouble adjusting when their college sports careers are over. Unfortunately, some examples of such phase of life problems are more extreme. Athletes experiencing difficulties with transitions have been known to become clinically depressed and even suicidal. Thus, sports counseling services sensitive to the magnitude of the effects of sports on student-athletes are crucial. Relatedly, student-athletes not involved in revenue sports at the collegiate level may suffer from a lack of recognition and the disparity of the college sports system.