Book excerpt: Sport psychologists working with athletes, teams and sports performers are only as effective as their professional techniques and competencies will allow. This is the first book to offer a detailed and critical appraisal of the conceptual foundations of contemporary professional practice in sport psychology. The book presents a series of reviews of the most up-to-date academic and professional literature on professional practice, exploring issues that all psychologists face when working with clients in sport and offers important evidence-based recommendations for best practice. Key topics covered include: models of practice and service delivery counselling and clinical intervention working with teams working with young performers providing life skills training managing career transitions working with special populations enhancing coach-athlete relations. With contributions from leading sport psychology consultants in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and continental Europe, this is a comprehensive and thought-provoking resource that bridges the gap between research and application. It is vital reading for all advanced students, researchers and professionals working in sport psychology.