Douglas Pierre: A Seychellois’ journey into sports psychology |17 October 2023

Seychellois sports psychologist Douglas Pierre (Photo: Contributed)

Combining his passion for sports and psychology of human behaviour

The concept of ‘Applied Sport psychology’ as a science to understand athletes’ biopsychosocial experiences and their resulting performances remains mostly untapped and is still an unknown territory for most Seychellois athletes and sports administrators, but Seychellois sports psychologist Douglas Pierre is ready to work with athletes and coaches to apply some of the most innovative ways.

Based in Australia, Pierre’s quest to contribute to the advancement of sports in Seychelles has led him to start up a sport psychology consultancy service specifically for Seychellois athletes and coaches.

“I firmly believe that such a service can be a valuable asset to individual athletes, teams and coaches who seek to improve their performance and sporting satisfaction. Whether it’s enhancing resilience, fostering a winning mindset, maximising team dynamics or even transitioning into sports retirement, I remain dedicated to helping my fellow Seychellois athletes and coaches reach their full potential,” Pierre told Sports NATION.

Early years

As a Seychellois hailing from a family of two sons, with himself being the youngest, Douglas Pierre’s life journey has been intertwined with a deep passion for both sports and the psychology of human behaviour.

Growing up tough in Castor Road, English River, Seychelles, he discovered his love for sports at a very early age. This unwavering passion for sports was implanted in him initially by his older brother Nigel Pierre who eventually played an integral part in developing his love for volleyball. Following in his brother’s footsteps in his formative years, Pierre went on to become a significant member of the English River school’s volleyball team. Later he was picked to form part of the country’s minime selection (the Seychelles Volleyball Federation’s academy for young players), where they learnt intensely the very basics of volleyball. After spending a year in the minime selection, his coaches propelled him to join the country’s cadets team until he reached NYS (National Youth Service) in 1996. After playing several successful seasons in the cadets team in the second division league, he joined the famous Premium Spikers club and later St Louis volleyball team where he rubbed shoulders with the country’s elites in the game. While he played volleyball with pure intrinsic satisfaction, his journey in volleyball simultaneously helped shape his perspectives on the value of teamwork, responsibility, commitment and hard work, which are fundamental values that he lives by to the date.

Studies

In the year 2000, his professional journey in psychology and counselling took off when he took on the role of fulltime school counselor with the Ministry of Education, working at the Beau Vallon secondary school and later Bel Ombre primary school. As he immersed himself into the role, he recognised the need to deepen his knowledge and understanding of the psychology of human behaviour. This led him to take on a leap of faith and secure a scholarship to pursue a Bachelor of Science (Psychology) at the Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia.

Upon completing his Bachelor’s degree four years later, he returned to Seychelles and dedicated himself to making a positive impact within his community.

“Initially, I worked for the Ministry of Social Services, but was then transferred to the National Council for Children (NCC) following a few governmental restructurings at the time. Both departments allowed me to function successfully as a provisional psychologist, providing much needed behavioural therapy and counselling of individuals of all ages facing diverse psychological, social, and emotional challenges,” said Pierre.

He noted that throughout this period, his passion for sports never waned. In fact, it grew stronger as he observed the profound connections between his progressive mental health and his athletic performance as a volleyball player.

“With the Zwe De Zil (Indian Ocean Islands Games) 2011 on our doorstep, I made it my responsibility then to collaborate with the National Sports Council (NSC) as a mental health coach to help prepare our athletes and coaches mentally, and supporting them put on their best performance during the games. I must say that my participation in the ‘Zwe De Zil 2011’ as a mental health coach has by far been my best professional contribution to Seychelles sports as I saw athletes and teams, I intensely worked with, reap gold medals in their respective disciplines,” noted Pierre.

He added that Team Seychelles’ overall success in this event as well as his own experiences as an athlete inspired him to pursue a path that combined both psychology and athletic performance.

“Driven by this desire, I made the resolute decision to undertake a Master’s degree in Applied Sport Psychology at the Cardiff Metropolitan University in Wales, UK. After two years of intense academic and practical training, I successfully completed my Master’s degree, while working closely with the university’s rugby and athletic teams,” he added.

Teaching profession

Armed with newfound knowledge and expertise, Pierre relocated to Adelaide, South Australia, where he currently serves as an academic staff in the health sciences department at the University of South Australia, teaching into various sports psychology and health programmes. He also works as an educator and a sports psychology researcher at the Flinders University, as well as a mental health programme coordinator for ‘Grow’ South Australia. Aside from his professional roles, he is also a proud member of the South Australia’s College of Sport & Exercise Psychology and hold professional membership with the South Australian Sports Medicine Association.

“Both my professional roles and memberships allow me to work in close collaboration with a number of professional athletes, coaches, sport psychologists and other key sports scientists in the field. Collaborating with these professionals on various multidisciplinary teams has also allowed me to gain even more in-depth insights in some of the underlying factors that can impact professional athletes’ and teams’ performances and coaches alike, while applying some of the most innovative way forward,” said Pierre.

Sharing knowledge and skills

A proud Seychellois and a giver, Pierre has always endeavoured to share his knowledge and skills with his beloved country. However, the concept of ‘Applied Sport psychology’ as a science to understand athletes’ biopsychosocial experiences and their resulting performance(s) remains “mostly untapped and is still an unknown territory for most Seychellois athletes and sports administrators”.

This, in itself, poses as a challenge which requires much-needed work and ongoing education using relevant framework. There have been recent efforts by local sports authorities to integrate sport psychology and mental health concept in sports development but more needs to be done for it to gain its rightful place in Seychelles’ sports, according to Pierre.

Nevertheless, he remains undeterred in his quest to contribute to the advancement of sports in Seychelles. This has led him to start up a sport psychology consultancy service specifically for Seychellois athletes and coaches.

“I firmly believe that such a service can be a valuable asset to individual athletes, teams and coaches who seek to improve their performance and sporting satisfaction. Whether it’s enhancing resilience, fostering a winning mindset, maximising team dynamics or even transitioning into sports retirement, I remain dedicated to helping my fellow Seychellois athletes and coaches reach their full potential,” pointed out Pierre.

Any athlete, teams or coaches or even sporting federations wishing to use his expertise, can join his online monthly sessions or they can get in touch with him via email – Douglas.pierre@unisa.edu.au or doughlas.pierre@flinders.edu.au for more individualised sessions. Otherwise, he can be contacted via his Facebook account while his official website gets finalised and distributed.

Lastly, Pierre would like to thank his parents, brother, extended family, close friends, teammates, and most importantly his wife Genevieve and daughter Emma for their continuous support throughout his journey and to what he is today.

“I am forever grateful,” he concluded.

Compiled by Gerard Govinden