Sports psychology is a new and exciting field which gives individuals the chance to help boost the performance of athletes. It’s definitely a rewarding area to work in and could mean rubbing shoulders with legends. To learn more about just a few jobs in this field, keep reading! 

Sports Psychologist

A popular position upon completion of a course in sports psychology is to become a sports psychologist. If you like the idea of working with athletes in order to help them achieve the best they can, this is the right job for you. 

As well as athletes, you’ll also get the chance to work with referees, coaches and more. Your job will be to prepare athletes, using psychology, for the demands of their job and the stress that comes with it – competing with talented people and coping with their busy training schedules. You will help the people you work for set goals and you will also look at how their personality plays a role in their performance. 

There may be some travelling involved in your role; you could be working in GPs surgeries, hospitals, gyms, university campuses, training grounds, athletes’ villages and more. 

Work can be taken on a freelance basis in this field. 

Exercise Psychologist

A relatively new field, exercise psychology looks at the factors effecting exercise activity such as self-esteem, body image, anxiety and more. 

Exercise psychologists help people deal with the perceived barriers that influence their exercise activity and aims to ensure that people get the maximum benefit out of their exercise regime and help them to maintain physical activity. They also ensure their exercise is adapted to them. 

This is a growing field where there are jobs due to the rise of obesity around the world. 

Lecturer

Many individuals in this field choose to go onto teach. Teaching also gives you the chance to continue doing further research into this area and passing on your passion to another generation. 

This is a good career to consider with desirable compensation too. You’ll get the chance to be at the forefront of new research and developments within the field. 

Clinical Sports Psychologist

As mentioned above, due to the stress of competing at such a high level, sometimes it may be the case that athletes develop mental health issues; this can range from depression to eating disorders. 

A clinical psychologist aids athletes to overcome these issues and get back to performing at their best. Cognitive and behavioral therapy is used to overcome these issues. 

Sports Rehabilitation Therapist

Naturally, with being an athlete comes injuries and this is where this role comes in. Although a physical therapist will help to heal the actual injuries, if there are psychological issues to do with the impact of injuries, including mental health concerns, a sports rehab therapist will help out. 

If you have a passion for this field and believe this is where your future lies, check out IBAT College’s Sport and Exercise Psychology Diploma.