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研究概要

Research Summary

How this research started

In 2001, I, Olivia Ogawa, became a university lecturer in the Business Department.

As I spent time with university athletes, I found that their positive emotional expressions, such as “I’m happy” or “it’s fun,” were so unique at university. They are always amazing, and I find myself holding my side with laughter. I am overwhelmed with happiness and gratitude when I can spend time with them.

At the same time, however, I learned that athletes have many worries and difficulties.

I’m not sure why, but many athletes called out to me, someone with no experience in sports. Perhaps they thought my expertise in career counseling in the field of business might be helpful; however, I thought my abilities were insufficient to support them. For a while, I was getting lost and wondering what I could do for them. Fortunately, I encountered clinical counseling, and I was admitted to the School of Graduate Studies, The Open University of Japan.

I started studying and researching in the field of clinical psychology

この研究を始めたきっかけ

Research content

We “OK Athletes Counseling” provides psychological support for athletes’ careers and mental health.

Led by Olivia C. Ogawa, a clinical psychologist and certified public psychologist, the group provides support from the perspectives of “clinical sports psychology” by combining knowledge on the four academic areas of psychology (clinical psychology, Nakagomi’s clinical sports psychology, counseling psychology, career theory: business).

Academic concept map

Our group has investigated the athlete’s psychological development and career formation from the perspectives of Marcia’s ego-identity status, Erikson’s psychosocial developmental theory (developmental and clinical psychology), Nakagomi’s literature on clinical sports psychology and Super’s career development theory. Finally, Ogawa(2013) discovered “Four sub-categories of athletes’ dependence” in Marcia’s foreclosure.

Our group’s support is based on these four categories of dependence. We provide individual counseling for the university athlete, and give group counseling with Kokubu’s SGE (Structured Group Encounter). We also support younger athletes, coaches, and families.

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Our Projects

Our group is currently working on the following types of projects.

・Statistical surveys
・Interviews and psychological tests
・Developing support methods and counseling

Group members are publishing research results in academic papers, giving presentations at conferences and symposiums, etc. For more information, please refer to our “Research Achievements” on this website.

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