Track I opportunities include part-time consulting with amateur and professional athletes and teams and, on rare occasions, full-time consulting. If you decide you want a job that primarily involves teaching and research in sport psychology as well as the possibility of providing performance enhancement techniques to athletes (e.g., relaxation or imagery training, goal setting), a doctoral degree from a graduate program in sport sciences is the safest possibility because, with very few exceptions, the academic positions in sport psychology exist in sport sciences departments.
Individuals trained in sport psychology through sport sciences departments also provide performance enhancement skills to athletes, but training in recognizing psychopathology is crucial. When athletes experience emotional difficulties such as depression, substance abuse, or eating disorders, individuals consulting to teams/athletes should have the competence to recognize these disorders and refer athletes to a licensed clinical/counseling psychologists.
Because sport sciences departments monopolize the academic job market in sport psychology, applicants for these positions usually need formal academic course work in sport science core areas such as exercise physiology, biomechanics, motor development, and sport sociology, in addition to specialized training in sport psychology.
Obtaining a job typically depends more on an applicants' research and teaching record in sport psychology than on their ability to provide athletes with performance enhancement and consultation.
Educational Requirements for track I:
Primary Employment for Track I:
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