Sport and Exercise Psychologist Job Description

Sport and Exercise Psychologist Duties and Responsibilities

Sport and Exercise Psychologist job description should contain a variety of functions and roles including:

• Provide athletes with psychological counseling related to their performance.
• Develop mental strategies that enable athletes to cope with and overcome setbacks or injuries.
• Conduct research on an athlete’s mental, emotional and physical attributes in order to effectively coach and improve performance levels.
• Identify mental strengths and weaknesses that contribute to or affect an athlete’s performance.
• Facilitate counseling and/or workshops that focus on goal setting, visualization and relaxation.
• Enhance an athlete’s performance through visualization techniques.
• Advise and treat athletes with mental health conditions.
• Counsel athletes that have endured sports injuries.
• Help athletes to manage on and off-field pressure and anxiety.
• Apply modern and improvised concepts to enhance physical potential.
• Providing counselling and consultations to a cross-section of the public including people who are depressed, GP referrals, people in prison or groups of employees as part of a workplace exercise programme.
• Counselling clients who are ill, in poor physical or mental health and who may benefit from participation in more regular exercise;
• Advising individuals about the benefits, both physical and psychological, that can be derived from exercise;
• Working with individuals and groups in a wide variety of settings including GP surgeries, employers’ premises, the client’s home, clinical settings and local fitness centres;
• Devising, implementing and evaluating exercise programmes based on the needs of the client;

Sport and Exercise Psychologist Requirements / Skills / Qualifications

Sport and Exercise Psychologist job description should include these common skills and qualifications:

• Bachelors degree in Psychology/Kinesiology or related (essential).
• Member of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (highly advantageous).
• Two years of experience as a Sports Psychologist.
• Thorough understanding of sports culture and the ability to display sound judgment.
• Ability to communicate and interact closely with athletes, coaching staff and administrative personnel.
• Innovative thinker with strong conceptual and problem-solving skills.
• Superb research and counseling skills.
• Profound listening and planning skills.
• Passionate about enhancing the self-efficacy of athletes.
• Tailor strategies that assist athletes in overcoming difficulties, improving performance and preparing for competition.
• Work with a multidisciplinary team including other psychologists, nutritionists, GPs, coaches and physiologists.
• Deliver counseling and/or workshops that focus on goal setting, visualization and relaxation.
• Equip athletes with mental strategies to cope with and overcome setbacks or injuries.

As a hiring manager, recruiting an ideal Sport and Exercise Psychologist starts with crafting a good job description. Use this Sport and Exercise Psychologist job description template to save yourself time and help you attract the most qualified candidates. Feel free to revise it to meet your specific needs.

Job seekers interviewing for the role of a Sport and Exercise Psychologist may also reference it in preparation for the interview.