We examined data on 32 elite athletes who sought individual psychological support at the Department of Sports Science in the Japan Institute of Sports Sciences, with the aim of clarifying the characteristics of their initial complaints and psychological tasks. First, initial complaints were divided into six groups (“psychological instability during competition”, “confusion in interpersonal relationships”, “psychological advice/coaching”, “performance enhancement”, “others”, “no problem”) using the KJ method. Second, chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test were used to investigate the characteristics of the athletes’ initial complaints and the routes to individual psychological support. The results showed that a relatively large number of athletes complained of “psychological instability during competition” and “confusion in interpersonal relationships”, and that many athletes who said that there was “no problem” sought individual psychological support on the recommendation of their coaches and training staff. Finally, case studies were conducted to ascertain the characteristics of athletes’ psychological tasks. This revealed that the need to raise a low level of independence was a common psychological task underlying the athletes’ initial complaints. On the basis of these findings, we discuss what approach and environment for psychological support were needed for these elite athletes.
