This study conducted surveys and in-depth interviews to explore the perception of sports psychology counseling among athletes. The participants included a total of 8 individuals: 307 athletes surveyed, 4 athletes who had received counseling, and 4 who had not. The survey investigated athletes' perceptions and management of psychological training, the perceived necessity of seeking advice for everyday concerns, willingness to use and perceived need for sports psychology counseling, prior experiences, and pre-engagement considerations. According to the survey results, 69.1% of athletes recognized the importance of mental training, but only 33.2% actually underwent psychological training. Furthermore, while 67.8% expressed a desire to receive education on psychological training from professionals, only 19.9% reported having searched for related information. When asked about their willingness to pay for sports psychology counseling services, 55.7% expressed willingness. Reasons for wanting to receive counseling, reasons for not wanting to receive counseling, and preferences or considerations for counseling sessions were listed as well. In the in-depth interviews, participants were classified into those who had received counseling and those who had not, delving deeply into motivations for seeking counseling or reasons for not doing so, perceptions during counseling sessions, considerations, preferred types of counselors, and program preferences. Based on this research, discussions and recommendations were provided with the perspective of utilizing sports psychology counseling as foundational data for providing high-quality services to users.