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Sports Psychologist

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Sports Psychologist About

A career in sports psychology is the perfect way for the person who has an interest in sports to combine that interest with a professional career in psychology.

Sports psychologists are trained to use psychological skills to help athletes excel in their sports careers. It is a specialized discipline that draws upon psychology as well as other disciplines such as biomechanics, physiology, kinesiology, and medicine to help athletes maintain optimal performance and adjustment.

Although improvement in performance is an important aspect in the sports community, it is not the only component of an athlete’s well-being that sports psychologists focus on.

Career Roles & Responsibilities

Giving psychological support and performance counselling.
Developing strategies to help athletes overcome illnesses, injuries, and setbacks.
Advising coaches and trainers on mental health.
Helping individuals manage the on and off-field stress, anxiety, and pressure.
Running individual and group workshops on relaxation, visualisation, and goal setting.
Conducting research on current and emerging performance coping practices and strategies.

Career Education Path Summary

You need a sports psychology degree, counseling degree, or sport sciences degree as an undergraduate or graduate student.

Most graduate schools admit students either with a sports psychology or sport sciences undergraduate degree, or a general psychology degree with courses or independent study in sports psychology.

Some master's programs require Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) scores, while others do not. Some waive the GRE requirement for students with a GPA above a certain level.

A master's degree often takes 2-3 years to complete. A doctorate takes an additional four years at minimum, plus time spent meeting internship requirements.

You can earn either a doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) in psychology or a doctor of psychology (Psy.D.) for your doctorate.

A Ph.D. focuses on research and prepares you for sports psychology careers in academia. A Psy.D. prepares you for sports psychology jobs that emphasize practice. Your final year includes an internship and doctoral thesis.

If you are interested in sports psychology careers, but not in earning a doctorate or becoming a clinical sports psychologist, there are other options. For example, you can still earn an undergraduate or master's degree in sports psychology and become a counseling sports psychologist, sports administrator, or related occupation.

Similar Careers

According to the American Psychological Association’s (APA), the salary for sports psychologists can vary significantly. Most experts who are employed in university athletic departments or by professionals teams can expect to earn between $60,000 and $180,000 a year, depending on the experience and education qualification.

Private practitioners can expect a varied income, as well. Sports psychologists cater to a specific niche of clients who pay for services out of pocket. This means that there is no floor or ceiling for the amount of income that a practitioner can earn in this field.

Private practitioners who take on more affluent clients may earn a significantly higher salary than practitioners whose clients are less affluent.

Career Pros Details

Sports psychologists often work as part of a collaborative team.
There are diverse career paths and specialization opportunities (i.e. teaching, youth sports, professional athletics training).
It can be a fun, challenging and exciting job.

Career Cons Details

The emphasis on teamwork may be difficult for independent-minded individuals.
Requires extensive education, training, and experience.
Opportunities are generally more limited for bachelor's and master's degree-holders.

Sports psychologists need to have many key skills to carry out their job effectively. First of all, having to work with athletes from a particular sport means that it is essential to have knowledge about the game and be able to integrate principles of psychology with the sport itself. This is important, so that sports psychologists are able to offer something of practical value to an athlete, which is relevant and can be applied to help them.

Apart from knowing the game, sports psychologists need to be likable and have a strong motivational ability. Because they work on such a personal level alongside athletes, having a good relationship is important.

Sports psychologists should have good interpersonal skills and have the ability to build a solid rapport with athletes. It’s not merely a matter of handing down advice, but being able to relate to the athlete and work together with them. Along with this, sports psychologists need to have the capacity to motivate, drive and encourage confidence in athletes to help them overcome the issues they face.

Sports psychologists also need to have the skill of being flexible. They should be able to address the specific individual needs of the athlete. While there are common problems amongst athletes, each athlete is unique in the problems that they face as well as having different goals, desires and abilities.

A sports psychologist needs to take into consideration the unique position and circumstances of an athlete in order to devise and adapt a therapy strategy that best works for them.