What Really Is a Sport and Exercise Psychologist?
The reality of what it takes to become a psychologist, and how one could help you
Firstly, let me introduce myself. I am Nicole, a newly qualified Sport and Exercise Psychologist. My main hobby is cycling, although I have tried many other sports, too, previously competing for Great Britain in sprint kayaking.
I have chosen to write an overview of what it’s like to work with a Sport and Exercise Psychologist, as there are several myths surrounding this discipline of Sport Science, and therefore people often aren’t sure what it involves or what to expect from me.
I’ll start with a common question:
What even is a Sport and Exercise Psychologist?
Or more so, how am I different from any other health or life coach selling their training courses on Instagram or TikTok, and promising to transform your life in the next 28 days? Well, to answer that simply, the term ‘psychologist’ is protected in the UK, meaning only those with the relevant training and qualifications can legally call themselves a Psychologist (box tick for me!). To become a Sport and Exercise Psychologist (let’s go SpEx Psych for short), you must have:
An undergraduate degree in psychology or sport psychology
A masters degree in sport and/or exercise psychology,
Enrol on one of a handful of training routes:
Supervised Experience with the British Psychological Society (BPS) or British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES; this is the one I chose!)
Professional Doctorate – a PhD-type qualification
Each of the training routes listed above take 2-4 years to complete, making the whole pathway 6-8 years of education and training. Upon completion, you are then eligible to apply to the HCPC (Health & Care Professions Council) to confirm your status as a fully qualified and chartered SpEx Psych! I started my journey in 2014 with my undergraduate degree, and (with a few breaks, and completing courses part time) I became chartered this summer. It’s certainly not a quick or easy process, but hopefully that gives an insight into how I have got here, before I start asking questions about you and your mental health and wellbeing.
What does working with a SpEx Psych look like?
So, if you’re still reading, you might now be wondering what would happen if you were to work with me, so I will try to give you an insight into the process and possibilities, and later break down a few common misconceptions.
In an initial session, I use this as an opportunity for us to get to know one another. This is very important when you consider that you may share some sensitive or challenging personal experiences, and likewise I may ask some difficult questions at times. You want to feel confident in me, be non-judgmental, and manage the information appropriately, and I want to make sure that you are in a position where you feel comfortable and willing to share in enough detail for me to be able to support you. If something doesn’t feel right, or our preferred ways of working don’t align, that’s ok. I may be able to point you in the direction of other SpEx Psychs. In the introduction, I will generally have lots of questions and want to get to know as much as possible about you, but I am happy for you to ask me questions, too. I will also try to get an idea of the kind of support you want or need from the sessions, and talk a bit about each of our expectations. Here’s my disclaimer, I don’t ever try to do any sport psychology in this initial session – first I need to earn my trust and learn a bit about you.
Still here? Great, now you must want to know what ‘doing’ sport psychology looks like! There’s different ways of approaching this. You might have an upcoming event and want a one-off session to discuss your preparations, or to debrief on an event that has happened recently. We can do this! Alternatively, you might be preparing for a whole season, or for an activity or event in the future, and take multiple sessions to discuss preparations, concerns, or make changes to things like your routines or thought processes. These kind of things don’t happen overnight, hence I would suggest several sessions (it is difficult to provide exact numbers, as this can depend on the type of event, the frequency or intensity of unhelpful thoughts or emotions, or even the amount of time you have available). I prefer to do my work over a period of time, as the solutions I might suggest in a one off session could be described as plaster solutions – they might stop the bleeding for now, but they don’t heal the wound. In other words, solutions might be effective in the short term, but might not be an effective long term solution. Again, this is where everyone is different, and I make sure to factor this in when working with you.
Common Misconceptions…
So, onto some of the common misconceptions that surround psychology in general.
I don’t have any problems, therefore I don’t need to see a SpEx Psych.
Maybe you don’t have a problem. But ask yourself, are there any areas that you would like to be better at? It might not be a problem, but that doesn't mean there isn’t an opportunity to build on or improve what you already have or do!
I will be asked to lay on a couch and talk about my childhood.
Highly unlikely! Sessions are conducted remotely so if you would like to lay on your own sofa whilst we talk, that’s fine by me, but I will never insist you do so! I may ask you to talk about your childhood if relevant, such as asking how you got into certain sports/activities, or perhaps thinking about when/where/how you have developed habits and/or behaviours, but there is normally no need to tell me everything that has ever happened to you!
I hope this gives you an overview of what it might be like to work with a Sport and Exercise Psychologist. If this has peaked your interest, book here *link*.
If you have any other questions or misconceptions to debunk, feel free to email me here.
I’ve been Nicole, thank you for reading!
If you have been reading along consistently, thank you. In the meantime, if you’re keen for more performance insights from our previous editions - all here on Substack.
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