Are you desperately trying to determine the most appropriate career path for your future? Have you narrowed down your choices, but you still seem to have a difficult decision ahead of you? Do you seem to keep going back to pursuing a career in the field of sports psychology, but you want to be completely sure that this is the most fitting choice for you? Doing a little research to ensure that you are making the best decision for your future is always a great idea; keep reading below to learn the most important information about this professional direction.
First of all, it is important to understand that as a sports psychologist you will need to be licensed or accredited as a psychologist. While your educational training and licensure will prepare you to work within any field of psychology, you will also receive specialized training that will prepare you for work within the field of sports. Keep in mind, your training to become a sports psychologist will adequately prepare you to work with any type of sports team. Thus, it will likely be important for you to have a keen interest and a solid knowledge of practically any type of sport, how it is played, and the ins and outs of the industry it is related to. Start your sports psychology school today!
Within the industry of sports psychology there are three general areas that you can choose to pursue. Of course, the general area that you choose to focus on will directly influence the type of positions that you will want to pursue. First, you can choose to focus on clinical psychology, which will qualify you to work with athletes in a one on one counseling situation. In a position such as this you will be required to help individuals work on problems that are related to their job, as well as some that are unrelated to their job and their performance. Or, you could choose to pursue a position within applied sports psychology. In a position such as this you would be expected to create motivational programs that are meant to increase the performance of a specific athlete or an entire sports team. In the areas of applied psychology or clinical psychology you will be well qualified to work with teams at the collegiate level, at a high school setting, or for professional athletic teams. It would also be possible for you to work in an educational capacity to teach aspiring sports psychologists or to perform research that is relative to this industry.
It is important to note that your job duties are likely to vary depending upon which specific field you intend to pursue. However, in each capacity it will be your responsibility to ensure that a specific athlete or an athletic team is performing to their maximum ability. This will often require you to work with their feelings and attitudes and how they interact with others in certain situations.