The project “Strong Mind, Strong Team”, carried out under the leadership of Asst. Prof. İdil Arasan Doğan from Üsküdar University, Institute of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, has been completed. The project, which started with the U11 basketball team in the youth program of Akademi İstanbul Sports Club affiliated with the Turkish Basketball Federation, and later continued with the U9 team, provided significant contributions both to young athletes and to university students.
Conducted between December 2024 and May 2025, the project was realized under the consultancy of Prof. Deniz Ülke Kaynak, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Üsküdar University, and Prof. Gökben Hızlı Sayar, Director of the Graduate School of Social Sciences, with the mentorship of Asst. Prof. Remziye Keskin, Deputy Director of the Graduate School.
Undergraduate and graduate students of Psychology, Ayşe İsra Ekinci, Aycan Polat, Fidan Kasımlı, Hande Yalçın, and Gizem Aslan, along with Psychologist Zeynep Yeşilçöllü who volunteered externally, actively contributed to the project.
Psychosocial support for athletes and parents
Within the scope of the project, individual and group sessions were held with the athletes. The sessions focused on:
- Goal setting
- Emotional control
- Attention and concentration
- Self-confidence and performance under pressure
Motivation and perseverance
Mental imagery sessions organized before the Turkish Basketball Federation competitions supported athletes’ preparation for the games. In addition, meetings held with parents strengthened family support.
Turning theoretical knowledge into practice
Psychology undergraduate and Clinical Psychology graduate students involved in the project gained hands-on experience under supervision, reinforcing professional skills such as managing group dynamics, developing empathy, and collaboration. In this way, students had the opportunity to put their theoretical knowledge into practice in the field.
Contributions to both academia and sports
The “Strong Mind, Strong Team” project not only created a psychosocial support model for young basketball players but also provided professional experience for university students. In this respect, the project stood out as a study that added value both to academia and to the field of sports.
The project was completed with the awarding of certificates to the athletes and student practitioners.
