How to become a sport psychologist

As a sport psychologist you'll work with athletes and teams from amateur to elite-professional level, preparing them for competition by helping them overcome any psychological barriers which prevent them from performing at their best.

You'll work with injured athletes to help them overcome the psychological impact of injuries, and mentally prepare them for their return to competition. You might also work with referees and umpires to help them cope with the stresses of overseeing intense team sports.

You'll usually need a degree in psychology as a first step to a career as a sport psychologist.

Alternatively, if you have a different but related degree, you could take a one-year conversion course. You'll also need to complete an accredited master's degree and a final two-year qualification, comprising primarily of supervised work experience.

Undergraduate degrees – the usual undergraduate route is a BSc (Hons) in Psychology accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and leads to Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC). A conversion course accredited by the BPS for those with an existing related degree is also an option.

Postgraduate studies – you'll need a BPS accredited MSc in sport and exercise psychology. This is usually a one-year full time course.

Additional qualifications – following successful completion of your MSc, you'll need a placement (paid or voluntary) which will allow you to carry out the BPS Qualification in Sport and Exercise Psychology (Stage 2). There's a minimum 2-year period, if full time, which consists primarily of supervised and documented practice and assessments. Following this you'll be able to apply for Chartered Membership of the BPS, full membership of the Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology, and registration with the Health and Care Professions Council, allowing you to work as a sport psychologist.

What does a sport psychologist do?

As a sport psychologist, you'll use your extensive training and experience to ensure that athletes are enabled to achieve the best outcomes by helping them to overcome psychological obstacles.

You'll hone their ability to concentrate and self-motivate and also work with teams to improve squad cohesion and performance.

You'll work with teams of other professionals such as coaches, managers, nutritionists and physiotherapists to develop and deliver comprehensive and integrated plans to maximise team and individual potential. You're also likely to work with injured athletes to help them overcome the stresses of being out of competition and support them through their convalescence.

Sport psychology also extends into supporting officials, helping them to recognise and cope with the stress caused by the pressure and responsibility of their role. Officials suffer from self-imposed stress by worrying about making wrong decisions and externally imposed stress from athletes, coaches, fans and the media. This is an emerging field of sport psychology, with opportunities for research and innovation.

Even experienced, elite athletes suffer from performance anxiety, lack of motivation and periods of poor self-confidence. This is where you would intervene, exploring the reasons for these issues through clinical assessment and observation, and identifying strategies to overcome obstacles. You might offer counselling sessions, hold workshops or guide your patients through physical and mental exercises.

Your role as a sport psychologist will also focus on improving performance in individual athletes and teams. You'll help increase self-motivation in training, develop exercises to improve pre-competition focus, boost concentration during competition, convert excessive aggression into positive energy and improve performance.

Strategies you'll deploy and activities you'll carry out include:

• Assessing existing and potential issues through psychological and clinical analysis and observation
• Delivering counselling sessions to overcome challenges and improve performance
• Holding workshops with teams to improve cohesion and performance
• Carrying out sessions to look at self-analysis, goal setting, visualisation and relaxation
• Collaborating with other professionals to deploy holistic approaches to performance improvement

What are the typical working hours for a sport psychologist?

Your basic hours might be 9-5, Monday to Friday, but by its very nature, the world of sport doesn't follow the traditional working week.

Therefore, expect occasional long and unsociable working hours to allow you to react to the needs of your clients.

The role is also likely to require frequent travel.