What Colleges Offer Sports Psychology – As studies continue to increase on athlete mental health, the college is working to bring in trained mental performance counselors to support various teams.
The Ithaca College Department of Exercise Science and Athletic Training has provided educational excellence in both clinical and practical aspects of human performance since its inception. More recently, however, the program has begun to delve deeper into the core of quality athletic performance: sports psychology.
What Colleges Offer Sports Psychology
The program offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees as minors. Athletic training has been offered at the college since 1975, but the B.S. and M.S. First created in the fall of 2020. The Minor in Sports and Exercise Psychology was launched in 2006. Additionally, the program worked to connect varsity athletic teams with mental performance advisors on campus.
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College mental performance counselors, professionally trained in athletic psychology, help student-athletes develop psychological, life and self-regulation skills to optimize performance, enjoyment and personal development in their respective sports.
Tara Stilwell ’18, a former athlete on the volleyball team and faculty member in the Department of Exercise Science and Athletic Training, said it was her experience working with a mental performance consultant that inspired her to pursue a similar career path.
“When I was an undergrad [uate], the sport [psychology] major only slowly started working with teams on campus,” Stilwell said via email. When I was playing volleyball, we had a few sessions with Greg Shelley, Ph.D., and I was hooked. “
Shelley, emeritus associate professor of exercise and sport science, worked with every varsity team on campus to facilitate workshops and dialogues around topics including culture development, team communication and mental toughness. He has worked as a mental performance consultant for over 20 years
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According to a 2021 study conducted by the NCAA, 22% of male athletes and 38% of female athletes said they felt mentally tired either constantly or most of the day. Furthermore, 59% of men and 50% of women answered that they strongly agree or agree that their coaches take mental health seriously.
Shelley says a team’s coaching staff will reach out to him for help with anything that falls under the sports psychology umbrella, so he can program group discussions with athletes to address a problem.
“Instead of talking all at once, I like to do things sequentially,” Shelley said. “Whether it’s motivation, team building or leadership, it’s important to look at the long-term message of these conversations. One conversation rarely fixes anything, the conversation must continue”
In addition to her role as a mental performance consultant, Shelley helped establish the college’s chapter of the Leadership Academy. Launched in 2014, the Leadership Academy is a comprehensive, four-year program designed to develop leadership qualities in its student-athletes.
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Shelley said the academy’s focus on building character addresses aspects of sports psychology that might otherwise be difficult to achieve.
“To be a leader, you have to develop your confidence, you have to develop your comfort, you have to develop your character,” Shelley said. Developing these things is as much sports psychology as you can learn in a classroom or textbook
Stillwell said Shelley’s message from the classroom to student-athletes is just as important as his curriculum.
“As a professor, former coach and mental performance consultant, it’s important to me to share resources to inform athletes about the support they can receive on campus,” Stilwell said.
Introduction To Sport Psychology
Jake Lentz, an athlete on the men’s equestrian team and a senior in the Leadership Academy, said that as a sports and exercise psychology minor, he ties his studies closely to his everyday life.
“I think what I like most about the sport psychology and leadership [academy] is that it can really give you some answers,” Lentz said. The classes I took and what I learned through [Shelley] were really influential in terms of my own perspective on the sport. “
After missing the 2021-2022 season with a back injury, Lentz said he took a psychology of injury in sports and exercise course to keep him involved in sports.
“To talk about all the psychological things that happen when you’re traumatized was very helpful,” Lentz said. “When you’re an athlete, your sport is such a big part of your identity. Losing it temporarily can be really hard to deal with.”
Psychology With Sports Performance Enhancement
A 2022 study of injured collegiate athletes found that injuries far removed from the athlete’s respective sport have complex negative effects on mental health. This can potentially include trig anxiety, depression, substance abuse and disordered eating In 2019, the Ithacan reported that 90% of student-athletes had an athletics-related injury at some point in their career.
Despite the clear progress the college has made in developing its academic programs and support systems for student-athletes, Lentz and Shelley agree there is still a long way to go.
“We need hands-on, hands-on training to make sure students are not only prepared to apply research and theory, but to really understand it,” Shelley said. We teach the theory really well, but what we lack is the ability to teach our young professionals how to actually do it. “
Lentz said many of the obstacles the college faces when it comes to supporting and developing its athletes come down to the number of resources available.
Licensed Psychotherapist Specializing In Sports Psychology
“Sports [psychology] is not the center of attention in a school right now, and bringing it to the forefront could really open some doors for more funding and opportunities in the field,” Lentz said.
Related Topics Exercise and Sports Science Department of Exercise Science and Athletic Training Greg Shelizek Lenzerd Academy Health Psychology Tara Stilwell Megan Pietrucha is a licensed clinical and sports psychologist in private practice. She specializes in eating disorders, body image, college student and athlete mental health, mood disorders, lifestyle changes, stress management, and performance psychology…
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How To Become A Sports Psychologist
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The field of sports is growing as more professional teams and athletes seek psychological guidance. You can also find sports careers outside of organized sports The United States Army is the largest employer of sports and performance psychologists
This guide explores how to become a sports psychologist, types of sports careers and typical sports salaries.
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Sports psychologists help athletes improve their performance In most sports professions, you work with athletes on motivation, stress management, visualization, effective teamwork and other psychological factors that affect sports performance.
You can use strategies from different theoretical perspectives to help teams and athletes improve, such as cognitive (how people think and make decisions), interpersonal and behavioral.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not track sports salary data specifically, but combines it with all psychologist salary data. Sports salaries vary greatly, with leading psychologists for top teams earning the top 10%.
To become a licensed clinical sports psychologist, most states require that you earn a doctorate. Then, in most states, you must complete one to two years of postdoctoral training experience under a licensed psychologist and pass a qualifying licensing exam.
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As an undergraduate or graduate student, you will need a sports degree, counseling degree or sports science degree.
Most graduate schools admit students with sports or sports science bachelor’s degrees, or general degrees with courses or independent studies in sports.
Some master’s programs require Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, while others do not Some waive the GRE requirement for students with GPAs above a certain level
A master’s degree usually takes 2-3 years to complete. A doctorate takes a minimum of four additional years, and the time is spent completing internship requirements.
Msc Sport Psychology
You can earn a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) or Doctor of Philosophy (Psy.D.) for a doctorate.
A Ph.D. Focus on research and prepare for a sports career in academia A Psy.D. Sports that emphasize practice prepare you for action Your final year includes an internship and doctoral thesis
When
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