Sports Psychology Research Paper

The field of sport psychology is a fascinating and exploding field to be apart of; with the current national focus on health from the overweight third grader to the professional football player with a concussion history, sport psychology has the possibility of impacting all those areas and many more. Being a relatively new field in the grand scheme of psychology means that the variety of backgrounds, qualifications, certifications and licenses is as vast as those sports psychology can help. From the bachelor’s level educated gentleman working in Player Development for the Denver Broncos, the certified personal trainer, to the individual seeking to change the understanding of the impact of concussions on professional football players, each has
With those specific degrees individuals can seek certification in personal training and athletic training and even in some states licensure as a psychologist depending on the states specific requirements. One of the leading certifications in the field of sports psychology is certification through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology as a consultant, though in some cases that certification process is more involved than some states licensure requirements. In terms of licensure some states, like Texas and Colorado, require an individual to posses a doctorate degree to even be considered for licensure as a sport psychologist. Ultimately, there are many avenues one can pursue but what it all boils down to is the specific people and environment an individual wants to work in. Once that is established, one can then decided on what level of education to pursue as well as the type of certifications and
The APA itself, set forth in its guidelines for doctoral programs, internships, and postdoctoral residencies, decree that psychologist naturally assume leadership roles in their actions as professionals; they are dedicated to ethical practice, continuing education, professional networking, reverence for diversity and the use of their knowledge to promote the health of individuals and society (Kois, King, LaDuke, & Cook, 2015). Beyond education, it is fundamental to the field to constantly establish mentoring and professional collaborations, network connections, and field development to sustain licensure all of which cannot be down without the basic skills of leadership (Kois et al., 2015). Fundamentally, not only do professional psychologist recognize and associate with those that possess leadership skills, in the world of sports, a world full of natural leaders, the same associations occur.
3. Provide three examples of common psychological techniques often employed by exercise psychology professionals and discuss the importance of possessing leadership skills, and building trust and rapport with team