Athlete meets sport psychologist: What happens? Before we answer that question, we need to look at the situations, environments, and referral processes that help bring an athlete (or coach, or athletic trainer) and a sport psychologist together for the first time face to face. In many of the applied psychology professions, the pathways to psychologists and clients meeting each other are fairly limited. A self-initiated phone call to a psychologist's office and an appointment made with a receptionist; a prescreening interview with an HMO psychology technician; a referral from a physician, school counselor, or social worker; and a few other routes are the primary avenues for referral to psychologists. The meeting places for such referrals are often formal office settings.