One phrase that I keep hearing from experienced practitioners is that “there is a lot of work in sport psychology, but not too many jobs”. In this blog post we shall deconstruct what is meant by this and explore exactly what a sport psychologist might do once they attain accredited status with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Sport and Exercise Psychology Practitioner. For more detail on the necessary training pathways, please read this blog post.
What do sport psychologists actually do?
Sport psychologists work with people, whether they be athletes, coaches or sporting clubs/organisations, to facilitate the achievement of sporting targets. They develop psychological strategies and techniques in order that psychological coping resources can be strengthened and optimal performance can be achieved.
'In the same way that a coach helps their technical skills, and a fitness coach helps their physical skills, a sport psychologist is interested in helping someone to reach their potential by improving the mental side of their performance' (Sport Psychology: A complete introduction p. 188)
How can sport psychologists help?
At an individual-level, a sport psychologist might be employed to help boost feelings of self-confidence and self-efficacy, to develop arousal regulation techniques in order to improve a person’s ability to perform under pressure or to make goal setting practices more effective. Additionally, a sport psychologist might seek to improve an individual’s self-talk, to guide their use of imagery or to provide support during an athlete’s return from injury.
At a group- or organisational-level, a sport psychologist might be tasked with helping to establish a more facilitative culture that promotes both performance and wellbeing by developing more effective communication strategies and creating an appropriate motivational climate.
Who do sport psychologists work with?
Sport psychologists can be expected to work with a range of individuals (including amateur, semi-professional and professional athletes) across a wide variety of settings. The demands and expectations placed on a sport psychologist vary considerably between the different environments in which they work; each client is unique.
In many cases, especially in an elite sport context, sport psychologists work alongside coaches and other support staff (e.g., strength and conditioning coaches, physiotherapists, nutritionists, etc.) as part of interdisciplinary teams. Effective collaboration is essential in ensuring that athletes, coaches and/or the sporting organisation as a whole has one, coherent plan to improve psychological and physical performance.
However, sport psychologists who have a contract with a professional club represent just a fraction of those working in the industry. Full-time salaried jobs in professional sport are still few and far between with the majority of sport psychologists being private practitioners. Whilst this can decrease job security, being self-employed can also allow practitioners to be more flexible and varied in their work. For instance, many practitioners balance applied sport psychology consultancy with lecturing or undertaking research at a university. Such dual-career individuals have been described by some as ‘pracademics’.
What are sport psychologists not?
Sport psychologists are not therapists or councillors. Whilst a good sport psychologist can provide some support for an individual living with a mental health difficulty, they should be appropriately skilled to recognise the boundaries of their professional limitations and refer clients to clinical psychologists where necessary.
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