Who they are: Sport psychology is a multidisciplinary field that draws on sport science and physiology with the goal of helping people of all ages and abilities maintain physical and mental health and reach peak performance.
Div. 47 (Exercise and Sport Psychology) has 921 members who conduct research, teach at the undergraduate and graduate level, and work with athletes from Little League to Olympic and professional levels, as well as with entertainers, surgeons, soldiers and members of law enforcement, to help them perform at their best.
The division was established in 1986. Initially poorly understood within mainstream psychology, its influence is growing, with sports terms like "being in the zone" and "focus" becoming part of the vernacular, says Div. 47 President John Heil. His practice in Roanoke, Virginia, blends clinical work in pain and injury management and consulting with athletes and sports organizations, as well as with police and public safety agencies.
In addition, division members are doing "great work in resilience, managing stress and dealing with group dynamics," says Division Past President Christine Selby, PhD, an associate professor of psychology at Husson University in Bangor, Maine. "There are a multitude of factors that contribute to how well any individual or team can perform."
Challenges: The field is still establishing and defining itself with a practice and research focus. Division officers are developing practice guidelines to better serve and protect consumers, as well as to inform other psychologists.
"A lot of psychologists aren't really aware there's a whole field called sport psychology that can supply them with a lot of knowledge or skill, whether working with an athlete who is injured or one who wants to perform their sport more effectively," says Kate Hays, PhD, the division's APA council representative. "Div. 47 is one of the best places to begin looking for all the research that is available in sport and exercise psychology."
What they publish: A quarterly journal, Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology , with research on how psychological principles can help people maximize their performance and how to promote physical activity. The division also publishes fact sheets for the public known as SportPsych Works on its website on such topics as goal setting, concentration and attention in sport, and injury and rehabilitation.
In addition, the division is developing a Web-based toolkit, "Exercise and Mental Health: Resources for Psychologists, Consumers and the Public," with Divs. 17 (Society of Counseling Psychology), 22 (Rehabilitation) and 42 (Psychologists in Independent Practice). The kit — which will debut later this year — will offer research on the myriad psychological benefits of exercise.
Hot topics: Through a growing focus on sport advocacy, the division is working to address bullying, hazing and other misbehaviors in sports teams and organizations that are increasingly coming under public scrutiny.
Last year, the division developed an online toolkitopens in new window for assessing and treating concussions in collaboration with four other APA divisions.
Sport psychologists are also taking the lead on research on childhood obesity prevention, says Amanda J. Visek, PhD, who heads the division's science committee and is an associate professor in the department of exercise and nutrition science at George Washington University. For example, she conducts research on how to keep young athletes engaged in organized athletics from their early childhood through their adolescence.
"Ultimately, we want to optimize early fun sport experiences so kids want to continue playing," she says. "Children derive so many biopsychosocial benefits from fun, active sport participation. Sustaining their participation in regular physical activities is key to children's health and development and all the more important given the dire overweight and obesity epidemics facing children today."
A bigger field: Sport psychology is poised for major expansion as more Olympic and professional athletes hire personal sport psychologists, division leaders say. A growing number of colleges are employing psychologists for their teams, says Dolores Christensen, junior student representative and a doctoral student at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts, who says that many students in the field are athletes themselves.
"Athletes are seen as having it all with all these resources at their disposal, especially those at top collegiate and Olympic levels," she says, yet this is a population that needs trained professionals to deal with performance stress. The first step to alleviating that anxiety is addressing overall life issues, just as with any client. "Athletes are not just anxious on the free-throw line, they're anxious about their lives," she says.
Each year, the division holds an event during APA's Annual Convention to introduce students to potential mentors. This year, a speed-mentoring session will take place during the second half of the Div. 47 social hour on Thursday during the convention. Ryan Pittsinger, the division's senior student representative and a doctoral student at the University of Iowa, and Christensen are developing a webinar to introduce students to common clinical issues a sport psychologist might see in his or her career, as well as one on multicultural issues in research and practice.
On the move: Founded in 1979 by former APA CEO Raymond D. Fowler, PhD, The Running Psychologists, a special section within the division, coordinates "Ray's Race," a 5K fun run and walk held each year at APA's Annual Convention for all attendees. (See Fowler article.)
— Stacy Lu
Other division highlights
Div. 2 offers travel and research grants
Div. 2 (Society for the Teaching of Psychology) invites applications for two grant programs.
- The Early Career Travel Grant Program provides up to 20 grants of $500 each to help society members defray the cost of attending teaching of psychology conferences. An additional travel grant is also available to an early career faculty member. The application deadline is Oct. 19.
- The STP Partnerships Grant Program brings researchers together to work on improving and promoting the teaching of psychology. A grant pool of $6,000 will be divided among multiple grantees. Small grants are available for projects on the scholarship of teaching and learning, assessment resources and instructional resources. Another grant is available to those who seek to bring in speakers for small teaching conferences. The program is open to division members who teach psychology at four-year colleges and universities, two-year colleges or high schools. The application deadline is Nov. 7. Find out more information onlineopens in new window.
Read the Div. 15 blog series
Div. 15 (Educational) is hosting a special blog series to coordinate with the presidential theme of Div. 15 President Karen Harris, PhD, on "Impacting Education Pre-K to Gray." Authors include such leading scholars as Paul Kirschner, PhD, John Sweller, PhD, Carol McDonald Connor, PhD, Patricia A. Alexander, PhD, and P. Karen Murphy, PhD. An archive of posts and more information on this year's presidential theme is available onlineopens in new window. Direct questions to Wade George.
Div. 17 debuts blog series on racial injustice
Div. 17 (Society of Counseling Psychology) is hosting a blog series — "After Ferguson: Counseling Psychologists Speak Out About Racial Injustice" — as part of its response to events in Ferguson, Missouri, and Staten Island, New York. The series features essays and commentary about racial injustice, responses by black communities and communities of color, and the role of allies in the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Submit a piece for the blog or read the seriesopens in new window.
Congratulations to Div. 22 travel grant winners
Div. 22 (Rehabilitation) presented VA Sunil Sengupta Student Research Travel Awards to help six students attend its midyear meeting, held in February in San Diego. The winners were: Jessica Chang, Texas A&M University; Samantha DeDios-Stern, Illinois Institute of Technology; Melissa Ivins-Lukse, Illinois Institute of Technology; Joshua McKeever, VA Palo Alto; Daniel O'Rourke, University of Washington; and Danielle Roubinov, VA Puget Sound Health Care System. Four students also earned outstanding poster awards from the Foundation for Rehabilitation Psychology: Samantha DeDios-Stern, Abbey Hughes, University of Kansas, Joshua McKeever and Danielle Roubinov. Div. 22 will host its next midyear meeting in Atlanta, Feb. 18–21. Students who submit a poster or paper abstract to the conference are automatically entered in the awards competitions.
Div. 37 offers funding for early career and student research
Div. 37 (Society for Child and Family Policy and Practice) welcomes applications for two new early career awards and one student award:
- The Div. 37 Early Career Research Grant offers up to $1,000 for an early career researcher. Applications are due Sept. 15.
- The Div. 37 Early Career Service Award offers $500 to an early career psychologist who provides above and beyond service to psychology. Applications are due June 1.
- The Graduate Student Research Award offers $500 to a graduate student in the early stages of a research project on social policy, service delivery, welfare or advocacy for children, youth and families. Applications are due Sept. 15. Find more informationopens in new window.
Graduate students: Check out Div. 43 mentoring and award opportunities
Div. 43 (Society for Family Psychology) invites graduate students who are interested in couple and family psychology to join the division's mentorship program and connect with early career and senior psychologists in the area. Through the program, each interested graduate student is matched with a mentor to answer questions about the field, assist with professional development and help find internships, postdoctoral opportunities and jobs. The division also welcomes applications for the Society for Family Psychology Student Research Award, which honors a first-authored poster presented at APA's Annual Convention. The winner receives $250 and the opportunity to publish a summary of his or her work in an upcoming issue of The Family Psychologist. For more information on student opportunities or to join the division's student committee, contact Div. 43 Student Representative Katie Wischkaemper.
Apply for Div. 48 small grants
Div. 48 (Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict and Violence) invites applications for small grants for research in peace psychology, development of peace psychology education programs or community projects that use peace psychology. Applicants may request between $300 and $1,500. Approximately half of the grants will be awarded to graduate students or early career applicants. Application details are on the Div. 48 websiteopens in new window. Applications are due May 31. Contact Div. 48 President Urmitapa Dutta, PhD, for more information.
For more about Div. 47 and to become a member, visit the division websiteopens in new window.
Div. 19 offers free online CE on working with military personnel
Div. 19 (Society for Military Psychology) is offering a free continuing-education online course on "Military Culture: Core Competencies for Health Care Professionals" to help health-care professionals work more effectively with military service members, veterans and their families. The course is geared toward seasoned practitioners and those considering working with military populations. It is designed to increase understanding of the stressors service members and their families face and the ways military service can affect health.
The division has also developed resource guides on military rank, occupational codes and questions to ask in an assessment to help health professionals navigate the military's culture. Find them onlineopens in new window.
