Dr. Erdner, Founder and CEO of The COPE Center, has assembled a collaborative research team that includes students from the University of Western States and Adams State University to support the refinement, validation, and applied use of the Sport Injury–Illness and Rehabilitation–Recovery Intake Protocol (SIRI-Protocol).
Originally developed by Dr. Erdner, the SIRI-Protocol is a comprehensive, two-phase intake assessment tool designed to help sport and performance psychology practitioners understand and support clients navigating injury, illness, rehabilitation, and recovery. It combines a client pre-intake assessment with a structured initial consultation guide to inform individualized case conceptualization and intervention planning.
The SIRI-Protocol draws on key components of foundational models and frameworks:
The revised stress-injury model (Williams & Andersen, 1998).
The integrated model of psychological response to sport injury (Wiese-Bjornstal et al., 1998).
The biopsychosocial model of sport injury rehabilitation (Brewer et al., 2002).
The multilevel model of sport injury (Wadey et al., 2018).
The SIRI-Protocol is designed to:
Support comprehensive, efficient case conceptualization by organizing information about the psychological, social, physical, and contextual factors that shape each client’s experience.
Center the client’s perspective by creating opportunities to communicate concerns, priorities, and experiences before and during the initial consultation.
Guide individualized intervention planning by helping practitioners identify relevant needs, existing strengths, available resources, and potential barriers to rehabilitation and recovery.
Strengthen continuity across the intake process by connecting clients’ pre-intake responses with focused exploration during the initial consultation.
Support interdisciplinary collaboration by helping practitioners identify concerns that may warrant coordination with, or referral to, other professionals.
Through this pilot study, the research team aims to:
Evaluate the protocol’s measurement properties, practical usefulness, and feasibility in applied settings.
Gather practitioner feedback to refine its content, structure, and administration.
Advance scholarly and applied understanding of clients navigating injury and illness across sport, performance, and health contexts.
Provide students and early-career researchers with experience in applied research, research ethics, and client-centered assessment.
The project has received grant funding from the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) to support the protocol’s continued development and evaluation. Eligible and enrolled research participants will receive $150 Visa giftcard upon completion of data collection. Data collection is scheduled for October 2026–February 2027, with preliminary findings planned for presentation at the 2027 AASP Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado.
Eligibility to two-fold:
SPP Practitioner Eligibility - To participate in this study, you must:
Be at least 18 years of age.
Be able to read and respond to study materials in English.
Currently provide sport and performance psychology (SPP) services in your professional or supervised role (e.g., CMPC, licensed mental health clinician, supervised trainee, athletic trainer, or rehabilitation professional).
Currently work with injured–ill clients navigating rehabilitation and recovery.
Have access to at least one client who meets the eligibility criteria below.
Injured–Ill Clients - SPP Practitioners must implement the SIRI-Protocol with at least one client who:
Is at least 18 years of age.
Is able to read and respond to materials in English.
Sustained a sport-related injury or illness within the past 18 months.
Is currently navigating rehabilitation and recovery.
Is currently receiving SPP services from the participating practitioner.
What Participation Involves
Participating practitioners will complete the following activities:
Attend an implementation and orientation meeting with the Principal Investigator to review the protocol and study procedures (45–60 minutes).
Complete the Practitioner Intake Questionnaire (5–10 minutes).
Implement both phases of the SIRI-Protocol with at least one eligible injured–ill client:
Phase I: Client Pre-Intake Assessment. Administer and review the SIRI-Questionnaire.
Phase II: Initial Consultation. Conduct a consultation to explore and follow up on the client’s questionnaire responses, then complete the practitioner case notes and implementation feedback form.
The estimated practitioner time commitment for implementing both phases and completing the associated documentation is approximately 2–3 hours, in addition to the orientation meeting and Practitioner Intake Questionnaire.
Practitioners are encouraged, but not required, to implement the SIRI-Protocol with additional eligible injured–ill clients during the data collection period. Case notes and implementation feedback must be submitted separately for each client with whom the protocol is implemented.
Financial Compensation
Funding from the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) Collaborative Research Grant supports compensation for up to 14 participating SPP practitioners. Practitioners who complete all required study procedures will receive a $150 Visa gift card in appreciation of their time and contribution.
If interest exceeds the available funded study slots, enrollment priority may be given to eligible practitioners who anticipate being able to implement the SIRI-Protocol with a greater number of eligible injured–ill clients during the data collection period. This approach is intended to maximize implementation opportunities and support the study’s aims.
Interested in participating?
If you are a sport and performance psychology practitioner who works with injured or ill clients, visit the “SIRI-Protocol” tab under the “Research” dropdown menu above to review the study details and eligibility criteria. Eligible practitioners can express their interest by completing the Interest Form.
