As we approach the start of a new academic year in many UK University’s and the running of many Masters degrees in sport and exercise psychology, it is a perfect time to ask the question ‘what should we be teaching trainees’? The first and most obvious answer is psychology. The majority of Masters courses in the United Kingdom (UK) are accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS). In order to gain BPS accreditation you need to demonstrate that you cover a range of sp

One of the challenges facing the field of sport and exercise psychology is the lack of clarity regarding why you should employ a qualified practitioner (other than the suggestion you really should). We spend a lot of time talking about qualification systems, but not enough time telling the public what a qualified practitioner gives you that other practitioners might not. Illustration depicting a sign with a qualification concept. The first (and potentially most important) rea

In many professions there are now organisations and associations that cater for the needs of the professional members. Examples in sport include the ‘League Managers Association’, the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), the Professional Cricketers Association (PCA), and the English Cricket Coaches Association (ECB-CA), amongst others. These associations provide specific support and services to their members who are active members of the profession. So, has the time co

Over the last ten years I have noticed that sport psychology in the UK has been very preoccupied with issues relating to professional bodies, professional accreditation/certification, regulation and academic rigor. Now I would not dispute the importance of any of these issues, but over this period I can’t help but think that the focus on the client has been lost, if it was ever there in the first place. ychology status, professional qualification, and the number of degrees t

There is an interesting debate that is taking place in the literature that supports the sport psychology profession. This relates to a fundamental aspect of the role. Should our focus just be on the performance setting or should we be looking at the client more holistically? This debate has, in particular, focused on the role that consultants fulfil in high performance sport environments. In some sports the role of the sport psychologist has been further focused on ‘performan

Increasingly sport psychologists are turning to a range of psychometric tools in order to understand clients better, to help clients to understand themselves, and to help leaders to better understand and connect with the people they are leading. Sport psychologists appear to be utilising some of the corporate tools that are available on the market. But, particularly for self-employed sport psychologists, deciding to use these tools can represent a significant investment to ge