In 1991 the NFL
took the position that each team had to have a drug and alcohol
consultant. As a result, Steven Bucky joined the lineup as team
psychologist for the San Diego Chargers. It wasn't long before his
duties expanded to include counseling not only the team members, but
also their wives, children, administrators, coaches and the coaches'
wives.
"Counseling professional athletes really isn't all that much different from counseling anyone else," Bucky told Paradigm in a recent interview. "They have job pressures, financial responsibilities and family issues just like anyone else."
However, there are several problems unique to the profession. The pressures of the game, the hangers-on who want a piece of the players or their money, the high visibility of the job all combine to form an emotional pressure-cooker for many players.
"People constantly want to get into their pockets," Bucky said. "There are vultures out there who want to get connected to their players -- in part to get their money, in part to be connected to their notoriety -- which is an additional pressure. Anything they do gets blown entirely out of proportion because of media exposure. As a result, they become highly sensitive to the issue of privacy. Wondering who to trust becomes a critical life issue.
"We treat drug and alcohol addiction with counseling, 12-step programs, inpatient or outpatient treatment, whichever is appropriate," Bucky said. "The important thing is to tailor a program to fit the athlete's specific needs and make it possible for them to stick with it."
Key to maintaining that success over the long haul is a program based on prevention. If athletes learn how to handle stress in the first place, they are less likely to turn to drugs and alcohol to escape.
"A lot of the guys come in and ask me to teach them how to relax," Bucky said. "I teach them a combination of biofeedback and visualization. I have them imagine themselves succeeding in the game or in any situation in which they feel intense pressure, and it really helps. It's getting the athlete to take that first step and come in for treatment that's a little tricky.
"Confidentiality and privacy are extremely important issues. One of the conditions I made prior to taking this job was that I wanted to remain relatively invisible. Sometimes I spend a little time hanging around the locker room because I want the players to get to know and trust me and come to me on their own. I encourage them to set up an appointment and visit me at my office away from the stadium to protect their privacy.
"A lot of players are afraid to come in for counseling because they don't know where information about their personal lives might end up. I assure them constantly that the information never leaves my office," Bucky said. "I've never had a coach ask me anything about a session."
"Working with a team is like working with a large extended family," Bucky said. "There are many advantages -- for instance you have more than one perspective on a given situation, which makes it possible to counsel more effectively. However, that closeness has its downside.
"For instance, we had several disasters recently," Bucky said. "We've had losses due to a plane crash, an auto accident, even a suicide. When things like that happen, you find yourself dealing with massive grief, and the cumulative effects, if left untended, can rip a close-knit organization apart.
"Football players -- professional athletes -- tend to keep their feelings to themselves and to be rather private and not deal with some of these personal things directly; they tend to bury it. It is the exact opposite of what one would want. It's the sports psychologist's job to help them deal effectively with life's issues.
"Football isn't the only field that uses sports psychologists," Bucky said. "There is no special license required to practice. In the state of California, you are licensed as a psychologist, 'period.' However, there is a sports psychology division in the American Psychological Association."
Frequently, sports psychologists must educate each other. Some of the best work with the Olympics. They primarily strive to motivate the players. However, football presents a unique challenge. "It's different from say a shot-put or someone who throws a javelin or tries for the high-jump," Bucky said. "Those sports require concentration and a high level of perfection. However, it isn't quite the same because you don't have 11 people on the other side trying to screw you up.
"The referral process differs somewhat because of the high profile of most athletes," Bucky said. "Because of issues surrounding confidentiality, I prefer to see the players myself whenever possible. Every time you involve an extra person in the process you increase the risk of violating their right to privacy.
"In the future, I'd like to see sports psychology work in the area of preventing substance abuse before it happens," Bucky said. "Another issue that we currently address but where I would like to do more is what players do once the fame ends. One way to do this would be through educational programs, not just for the players, but for the whole family.
"Basically, it comes down to this," Bucky said. "A player's performance at one o'clock Sunday on the field depends on how well he handles his life off the field. As counselors, we try to give them the tools they need to manage their lives successfully."
Steven Bucky, Ph.D., is director of professional training at the California School of Professional Psychology in San Diego. He also has a private practice in La Mesa, Calif.
