Becoming a Sport Psychologist

How Can a Psychologist Become a Sport Psychologist?

Commonly Asked Questions:

I am a very experienced tennis player (or golfer or runner or...), and I am a psychologist. Can I call myself, and practice as, a "sport psychologist?"
I coach (or used to coach) basketball (or soccer or football or...), and I am a psychologist. Can I call myself, and practice as, a "sport psychologist?"
I've read quite a bit about sport psychology, and I am a psychologist. Can I call myself, and practice as, a "sport psychologist?"

Answer:
No, not if you practice within your boundary of competence in accordance with APA Ethical Principles (2002 Revision; Standard 2.01).

Explanation:

In this current health care environment, questions regarding the competence of psychologists in specialty areas have become important. The question of how to decide to call oneself a "sport psychologist" is especially challenging because very few training experiences exist within current graduate psychology programs that allow specialization in "sport psychology." Doctoral level programs in sport psychology exist within sport science and kinesiology programs, but few psychologists have graduated from such programs. The public acceptance of the term "sport psychologist" seems much higher than the recognition afforded the area within psychology programs. The public’s acceptance of the term ‘sport psychology’ appears to be much greater than the recognition bestowed by the psychology programs themselves. Division 47 has taken the position that the decision to claim specialization in sport psychology must be a personal one, based on your experience and training. At this time, neither APA nor Division 47 has plans to offer or recommend a specialty certificate or the equivalent in "sport psychology." In making the decision to call yourself a sport psychologist, you should carefully consider the APA "Ethical Principles of Psychologists". Standard 2.01 of the Principles ("Boundaries of Competence") states that:

Psychologists provide services, teach, and conduct research with populations and in areas only within the boundaries of their competence, based on their education, training, supervised experience, consultation, study or appropriate professional experience.
Where scientific or professional knowledge in the discipline of psychology establishes that an understanding of factors associated with age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, or socioeconomic status is essential for effective implementation of their services or research, psychologists have or obtain the training, experience, consultation, or supervision necessary to ensure the competence of their services, or they make appropriate referrals, except as provided in Standard 2.02, Providing Services in Emergencies.
Psychologists planning to provide services, teach, or conduct research involving populations, areas, techniques, or technologies new to them undertake relevant education, training, , supervised experience, consultation, or study
When psychologists are asked to provide services to individuals for whom appropriate mental health services are not available and for which psychologists have not obtained the competence necessary, psychologists with closely related prior training or experience may provide such services in order to ensure that services are not denied if they make a reasonable effort to obtain the competence required by using relevant research, training, consultation, or study.
In those emerging areas in which generally recognized standards for preparatory training do not yet exist, psychologists nevertheless take reasonable steps to ensure the competence of their work and to protect clients/patients, students, supervisees, research participants, organizational clients, and others from harm.

Division 47 takes the position that the term "sport psychologist" used by a licensed psychologist in describing his or her services to the public implies that:

The psychologist has experience in applying psychological principles in sports settings. This will involve experience working with athletes, coaches or sports teams as clients. In turn, this suggests competency in understanding the needs of this special population of clients.
The psychologist has expert knowledge in the research underlying the psychology of sport, and is familiar with the field of exercise science. The relevant literature in the field of sport psychology is extensive, and includes research focused on the development of sports participation motivation, the psychology of coaching, the psychology of skilled sports performance, and the incidence and prevalence of mental health concerns in the athletic population, to mention just a few areas. Thus, the term "sport psychologist" suggests that the practitioner has specialized experience and knowledge. It is not only unethical to call yourself a "sport psychologist" without adequate training and experience, but there are legal issues to consider as well. For example, in the case where a psychologist defends against a malpractice suit, it is important to be able to demonstrate one's competence in one's specialty. Division 47 has assembled the information in this brochure to help you understand how the field of sport psychology has developed and to guide you in seeking further information and/or training.

Sport and Exercise Psychology Defined

Sport and exercise psychology is the scientific study of the psychological factors that are associated with participation and performance in sport, exercise, and other types of physical activity. Sport psychologists are interested in two main areas: (a) helping athletes use psychological principles to achieve optimal mental health and to improve performance (performance enhancement) and (b) understanding how participation in sport, exercise, and physical activity affects an individual's psychological development, health, and well-being throughout the life span.

Learning More About Sport Psychology

To become more involved in sport psychology or learn about the field, here is what you can do.

Join professional organizations and committees within those organizations

To join APA Division 47, you must be a member or affiliate of APA and request Division 47 affiliation.

Contact:
APA Division Services
(202) 336-6197 (direct line)
(202) 218-3599 (Fax)
(800) 374-2721 (APA general line)

You can access the website at http://www.apa.org and complete a membership application online. Click on ‘Join a Division Now.’

Other sport psychology associations you should consider include:

Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) http://www.aaasponline.org

North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA) http://www.naspspa.org

International Society of Sport Psychology (ISSP) http://issponline.org

British Association of Sport and Exercise Science (BASES) http://www.bases.org.uk

Contacts for these organizations change every year. For updated information, visit the APA Division 47 website http://www.apa47.org or contact a member of the Division 47 executive committee and request current information.

Attend professional conferences

APA, annual convention, usually in August www.apa.org
AASP, annual convention, usually in September or October www.aasponline.org
NASPSPA, annual convention usually in June www.naspspa.org
ISSP, convention held every four years, usually in the summer www.issponline.org
BASES, annual conference, usually in September www.bases.org.uk
Regional conferences

University of Virginia
University of Southern Maine-Sport Psychology Institute www.usm.maine.edu/summer/sport.htm
Conference on Counseling Athletes-Springfield, MA

Obtain Continuing Education (CE) Credits

APA usually offers CE courses in sport psychology each year just prior to the annual meeting.
The conventions and regional conferences listed above also offer CE credits.
Virtual Brands offers video based home study CE credits (www.vbvideo.com)

Read professional journals

Journal of Applied Sport Psychology published by
Allen Press, Inc.
P.O. Box 1897
Lawrence, KS 66044-8897
(913) 843-1221
Fax (913) 843-1274 www.allenpress.com
Note: Subscription to this journal is a part of membership in AASP.

Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology
The Sport Psychologist

both published by
Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc.
Box 5076
Champaign, IL 61825-5076
(800) 747-4457 www.humankinetics.com

International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology

Back issues from 1970-1994 are available from www.swets.nl/backsets/catalogue

Psychology of Sport and Exercise (an official journal of the European Federation of Sport {Psychologists)

Customer Service Department

11830 Westline Industrial Drive

St. Louis, MO 63146

800-545-2522 www.elsevier.com

Texts in the area of sport and exercise psychology include:

For students and professionals:

Murphy, S. (Ed.) (1995). Sport psychology interventions. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Van Raalte, J.L. & Brewer, B.W. (Eds.) (2002) Exploring sport and exercise psychology (2^nd ed.). Washington DC: American Psychological Association.
Singer, R.N., Murphey, M., & Tennant, L.K. (Eds.) (1993). Handbook of research on sport psychology. New York, NY: Macmillan.
Singer, R.N, Hausenblas, H., & Janelle, C. (Eds.). (2001). Handbook of sport psychology (2^nd ed.). New York: Wiley.
Weinberg, R. & Gould, D. (1995). Foundations of sport and exercise psychology. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Williams, J.M. (Ed.) (2001) Applied sport psychology: Personal growth to peak performance (4^th ed.). Mountain View, CA: Mayfield (415) 960-3222.

For information about graduate programs and careers in sport psychology:

Sachs, M.L., Burke, K.L., & Schrader, D.C. (2000) Directory of graduate programs in applied sport psychology (6^th ed.). Morgantown, WV: Fitness Information Technology. www.fitinfotech.com
Van Raalte, J.L. & Williams, J.M. (1994). Graduate training and career possibilities in exercise and sport psychology. Brochure sponsored by APA Division 47, AASP, and NASPSPA. Available from APA Division Services (202) 336-6013 or on the APA Division 47 website.

For athletes:

Kirschenbaum, D. (1997). Mind matters: Seven steps to smarter sport performance. Carmel, IN: Cooper (317) 574-9338.
Murphy, S. (1997). The Achievement Zone: An 8-Step Guide to peak performance in All Arenas of Life. New York, NY: Berkeley. (800) 847-5515.
Orlick, T. (1998) Embracing your potential. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. www.humankinetics.com

Find information on the internet

1. Division 47 has its own website. It has links to many useful web addresses. To access the Division 47 home page, use: www.apa47.org

2. Division 47 maintains its own listserv for members and those interested in the field. The list is specifically for postings issues, questions and findings concerning, (a) research in sport and exercise psychology, and (b) professional practice issues in sport and exercise psychology.

To join the list and receive email postings from list members, send an email message to: LISTSERV@LISTS.APA.ORG

Put nothing in the "subject" line. In the body of the message type

subscribe div47 your name and then send the message. You will receive acknowledgement from the APA listserv when your subscription has been approved.

Subsequently, to send a message to the list, simply address your message to div47@lists.apa.org Your message will go out to everyone who subscribes to the list. Please use care and consideration in writing your messages. If you wish to continue a private conversation subsequent to a posting on the list, address your email to that individual's private email address.

The Div. 47 list administrator is currently Doug Hirschhorn, M.S. To reach Doug by email, address your message to: dhirschhorn@bam-us.com.

3. Another sport psychology listserv is maintained at Temple University. This list, SportPsy, is more casual. To join the Sportpsy discussion group and receive email postings from list members, send an email message to:

LISTSERV@VM.TEMPLE.EDU

Put nothing in the "subject" line. In the body of the message type

SUBSCRIBE SPORTPSY your name and then send the message.

If this does not work, send Michael Sachs a message at v5289e@vm.temple.edu and ask to be added to the discussion group.

Contact the following sport-related publishers for catalogs and other information:

Fitness Information Technology (FIT), Inc.
P.O. Box 4425
Morgantown, WV 26505
(800) 477-4348 www.fitinfotech.com

Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc.
Box 5076
Champaign, IL 61825-5076
(800) 747-4457 www.humankinetics.com

Take courses in sport psychology and exercise science at a local college.

Join a sport psychology research group at a local college or university. The sport psychology organization, AASP (the Association for Applied Sport Psychology), offers a certification program to recognize consultants who have a specialty in sport psychology. This certification is not endorsed by APA or Division 47, but those who wish to examine the AASP Certification criteria and/or request an application, may do so by visiting the AASP website www.aasponline.org

Begin applied work while receiving supervision from a local sport psychologist

Division 47 hopes the information in the brochure will be helpful for you as you pursue your interests in sport and exercise psychology. Good luck, and stay fit!