Exercise dependence and elite Australian athletes

This thesis provides an examination of exercise dependence (EXD) among elite Australian athletes. The research identifies the main symptoms of EXD among elite athletes as excessive training, withdrawal, and continuance behaviours. EXD was found to be associated with irrational beliefs relating to training, low self esteem, and limited social support. The portfolio presents four case studies illustrating the use of solution focused brief counselling with athletes and drawing attention to the utility of a solution focused approach as an effective tool in sport psychology consultancy.