Donohue, Brad (Distinguished Professor, Psychology Department, Director of The Optimum Performance Program, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA)

Athlete Mental Health and Performance Optimization: The Optimum Performance Program for Sports (TOPPS) Donohue, Brad (Distinguished Professor, Psychology Department, Director of The Optimum Performance Program, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA)

This intervention manual for improving athletic mental health and performance introduces The Optimum Performance Program for Sports (TOPPS). TOPPS provides structured protocols to assist with recruitment, engagement, screening, assessment, and performance optimization. The book provides step-by-step instructional guidelines real-world case examples, screening and assessment questionnaires, scoring instructions, intervention handouts, and worksheets that complement intervention. TOPPS has demonstrated significantly improved relationships with teammates and coaches, decreased substance use and psychiatric symptoms, and decreased factors interfering with sport performance. These results have been sustained in follow-up and has been shown to have l improved outcomes regardless of mental health diagnostic severity.

The first three chapters introduce performance optimization orientation, theories and evidence supporting TOPPS, general assessment and intervention approach, psychometrically-validated measures and strategies used to address culture, methods of establishing a culture of optimization and requisite infrastructure within the respective system, and therapeutic style, techniques and implementation strategies. The remaining chapters show how to implement TOPPS.