Div. 47 Education Committee report

Graduate training in sport psychology varies in program duration, practica/internships and coursework descriptions

By Ed Etzel, PhD

The EC has reenergized with new members and some new charges from Division 47 President Petrie. The committee would like to thank ex-President Balague for her support over the past year. She was instrumental in encouraging various activities to include an examination of graduate training in sport psychology in North America and elsewhere. In a nutshell, we learned:

Program/course work descriptions and detail vary
There are many MA/MS programs, but there are relatively few doctoral programs
Some programs appear to only be 'specializations' and 'certificates' of study
Approximately 10 - 15 percent appear to be EdD programs and PsyDs
Program 'homes' vary from a very few in psychology departments to many programs in Kinesiology and sport science.
Several online programs exist
Program duration varies; four - six years on average
Practica/internships and there description vary; some programs provided considerable detail on these; some do not do so
Some internships merely focus on GTA and RA work vs. applied and/or clinical work

Recently, the chair has responded to inquiries about how to become a sport psychologist. These inquiries come from psychologists who wish to retrain/ respecialize. Some have been asked by agencies to begin to do this general type of work for, as example. for a group practice or hospital/sports medicine center. The Proficiency is a useful model to refer interested colleagues to. That model seems to provide a good way to self-assess one’s competencies. See more about Proficiency.

Selected electronic updates are received from the APA Education Directorate. One APA offering in the future that some members may have an interest in is the “APA Professional Development Training Institute” which will be held April 11-12, 2013 in Washington, D.C. Our committee is always in search of some motivated new members. We welcome one or more new student members; we currently have one graduate student. Please encourage any prospective EC members to contact me. Have a great fall and early winter! - Ed Etzel, Education Chair