How to be a Sports Psychologist

If you enjoy helping people maximize their physical skills by better managing their emotional state, then a career as a Sports Psychologist may be for you.

What do Sports Psychologists do?

Sports Psychologists help motivate and reduce the anxiety of athletes, and prepare them for competition. They also help assess the talent of future athletes, and work with athletes who have been injured. And being able to apply the theories and research findings of Psychology to the practical worlds of competitive sports, athletics, and exercise is something from which many people can benefit.

Some Sports Psychologists work in private practice by consulting with individual clients, others work in teams, some work at hospitals and rehabilitation facilities, and some teach at the university level. Other Sports Psychologists combine two or more of these career opportunities, depending on their interests.

What skills must Sports Psychologists have?

Sports Psychologists may travel regularly, both domestically and internationally, and must have leadership skills, writing skills, and public speaking skills.

They must teach athletes individually or in groups to use relaxation techniques, imagery, and self-talk to improve their performance and to manage their arousal to reach their goals. Sports Psychologists should also have skills counseling others, especially athletes with mental health issues, so they need to be interpersonally sensitive and patient, as well as supportive of and interested in helping others.

What educational requirements must Sports Psychologists have?

Sports Psychologists often have masters degrees in Psychology, and have taken courses in Learning, Human Development, Motivation, Psychobiology, Abnormal Psychology, Counseling Psychology, Sports Psychology, and Exercise Physiology. You can earn both a Bachelor's and a Masters degree in Sport Psychology, via distance learning. However, it is critical that you earn it from an accredited online university so your credentials can be recognized in the industry and also qualify you to pursue certification courses.

The North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity offers an award for an outstanding student paper, as well as an award for the international travel of graduate students, along with a research grant for graduate students.

What required experiences must Sports Psychologists have?

In order to become a Certified Sports Psychology Consultant, after earning a Master's degree in sports psychology, individuals must have obtained supervised experiences, either by consulting with an athletic team, a youth sports organization, a cardiac rehabilitation program, as an academic counselor who has taught performance enhancement training to athletes, or as an intern at a corporation who has provided an intervention exercise program to employees.

What is the average salary of Sports Psychologists?

A job listing on the official website of the U.S. Olympic Committee indicates that the full-time salary, between $68,952 and $98, 532.

What is the job outlook for Sports Psychologists?

Sports Psychologists often work as professors, a career in which competition for full-time positions is high, yet others work private practice, or with professional sports teams.

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