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Sports Psychology

Become a Sports Psychologist.

One branch of psychology that is becoming increasingly popular is sports psychology, a discipline in which people's behavior in sports is studied. Sports psychologists generally study the psychological and mental effects of participating in sports, as well as the way an individual participant's own mental state impacts their performance. At the same time, sports psychologists apply the knowledge gained from their studies to everyday life.

Sports psychologists perform the following duties:

  • Work with athletes (both amateur and elite) to prepare them psychologically for competition
  • Work with athletes (both amateur and elite) to help them deal with the psychological effects of competition
  • Educate coaches on the best ways to enhance the team's psychological state and become a successful, cohesive unit
  • Research the effects of sport participation on athletes
  • Teach university students who are studying for their psychology degrees
  • Evaluate developmental disabilities

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Work Environment

Because sports psychology is such a unique specialization, sports psychologists often work as consultants for many different teams, athletes or athletic departments. Generally this consulting work is combined with a position teaching college courses or researching. Some sports psychologists work full time with professional sports teams, but this is a difficult position to obtain.

Training

For those who would like to become a sports psychologist, it's often best to begin with a Bachelor's in psychology degree. If the undergraduate college offers courses in sports psychology, students should take as many as possible to learn about the field.

While some people are able to work as a sports psychologist with only a Bachelor's degree, most decide to go on to get a Master's or Doctorate in either psychology or sports psychology. There are very few programs that offer advanced degrees in sports psychology, so obtaining a graduate-level psychology degree and combining this with sports psychology internships is a typical path toward full time sports psychology careers.

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sports psychologist holding basketball

Did You Know?

  • Some of the main psychological skills sports psychologists impart to athletes and coaches are anxiety management, attention and concentration control, communication, goal setting, imagery and team building.
  • The first sports psychology laboratory was founded in Berlin, Germany in 1920 by Carl Diem, but sports psychology study in American only became popular during the 1960s, which makes it a relatively new discipline.

Salary Data

The starting salary for sports psychologists is roughly $41,850. However, salaries vary widely depending on the job, employer, education level and the psychologist's experience within the field.

Self-employed individuals make an average salary of $71,880, while a professional working at a college or university earns $55,000 on average.

Sources: bls.gov, payscale.com

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Walden University

At Walden, you'll benefit not only from our unique distance learning delivery models, but from the personal attention of our world-class faculty, and from a highly customized program that is directly related to your career goals.