Careers in Sports Psychology

\"Do you like sports?  Do you like to encourage, motivate, and drive people to their full potential?  Are you a leader and do you enjoy being part of a “team”.  A career in sports psychology just may be for you if you answered “yes” to any of the above questions.  Being a sports psychologist involves all of those mentioned above.

Careers in sports psychology usually require a doctorate or a master’s degree in counseling, sports psychology, and clinical study as well.  Psychology, and how it relates directly to exercise and sports, as well as experience and training are key to achieving a career in sports psychology.  It requires a great deal of education, training, and experience to be successful in this field.

There are several options in a career in sports psychology once you obtain the education, training, and experience that is required in this field.  Obviously, these all involve direct education and evaluating sports performances.  You may choose to teach sports at a higher level of education.

You will also be qualified and may opt to work directly with the athletes to help aid them in their motivational skills.  Research and/or counseling is still another choice that you have once you have obtained a master’s degree and the other additional requirements needed for a career in sports psychology.

Based on your education and training and also the area of sports psychology that you chose to become proficient in will determine your earnings in a career in sports psychology.  Pay range can vary in this field from approximately $40,000 to $70,000 with the median income range of approximately $60,000.  If you chose or are fortunate enough to be chosen to work with professional athletes this figure would rise significantly.

Careers in sports psychology can have you working in a variety of places.  You will most likely work in a college, high school or an athletic organization.  There are three main possibilities of working as a sports psychologist.  Most likely you will be either an academic sports psychologist involved in the aspects of teaching and researching the discipline aspects of sports.

You could also become an applied sports psychologist involved in performance and enhancing a sports players skills working either one-on-one or with an entire team.  Another choice would be a clinical sports psychologist that deals with difficulties relating to psychology such as eating disorders, chemical dependency, or anxiety and depression.  This work is mainly on a one-on-one basis working with an individual directly.

To find out more about a career in sports psychology it is best to contact the AAASP (Association for the Advancement of Applied Sports Psychology).  This is a good reference program and can lead you in the right direction for a career in this field.

Whatever path you choose you will want to make sure that this is the field of study for you as it involves a great deal of dedication and hard work in obtaining the right credentials.  May your journey take you where you want to go.

RESOURCES

American Psychological Association: Hot Careers Sport Psychology

Schools.com: Sports PSychologist Salary and Career Outlook

Association for Applied Sport Psychology: Job Opportunities

Association for Applied Sport Psychology: Resource Center

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