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date: 07 February 2025

Sport Psychology Considerations in Intercollegiate Athletics in the United Stateslocked

Sport Psychology Considerations in Intercollegiate Athletics in the United Stateslocked

  • Christopher M. BaderChristopher M. BaderIntercollegiate Athletics, University of Colorado Boulder
  • , and Scott B. MartinScott B. MartinDepartment of Kinesiology, Health Promotion, and Recreation, University of North Texas

Summary

As a field of study, sport psychology is relatively young, gaining its formalized start in the United States in the 1920s. Then and now, the practice of sport psychology is concerned with the recognition of psychological factors that influence performance and ensuring that individuals and teams can perform at an optimal level. In the past 30 years, sport psychologists have made their way into intercollegiate athletics departments providing mental health and performance enhancement services to intercollegiate student-athletes. The differentiation between mental health practice and performance enhancement practice is still a source of some confusion for individuals tasked with hiring sport psychology professionals. Additionally, many traditionally trained practitioners (in both mental health and performance enhancement) are unaware of the dynamics of an intercollegiate athletic department. The interplay of the practitioner and those departmental dynamics can greatly influence the efficacy of the practitioner.

Subjects

  • Clinical Psychology: Disorders and Therapies
  • Sports Psychology

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