Job offers in sport psychology

The profession of sport psychologist in Italy is not as widespread as one would expect for many reasons linked to our cultural backwardness both in sport than in the academic world. Among these reasons, there is one that concerns the lack of knowledge by managers and coaches of where and to whom to direct their offers of counseling psychology of sport for their clubs. Often the choice of the sport psychologist occurs through the direct or indirect personal knowledge. Everyone knows doctors, but no one would think to go to an orthopedic surgeon when needed instead of a cardiologist or viceversa. In many people’s minds is dominantt he idea that to work in sports is enough to be psychologists and not sport psychologists. The reaction of the psychologist who are offered this opportunity is immediately positive but shortly after he began his frantic search for a colleague who is sport psychologist to talk to and ask for advice on what to do. Result: the psychologist will present to the club a program that includes the implementation of skills that he does not have and will bring discredit on the  sport psychologist profession. Personally, I often talk to coaches who told me: “Before you there was a colleague who has spent time doing observations and we never knew what was served,” “Just that we no longer need fill tests, which are useless, “” He always questions but never gave an answer. ” These are the most common comments I’ve heard and certainly start working in a context where the psychologist has this perception on the part of coaches is not easy.
Therefore I tell to managers and coaches to use Internet to find professionals who can also direct them to colleague in their geographical area, contact the Schools of Sport of the Italian Olympic Committee for indications, contact the Italian Society of Sport Psychology, contact the university teachers of sport psychology. If you believe that the sport psychologist is professionally useful to improve aspects of a sports organization, you cannot choose the first one on the street, because it is unlikely to be the right one. We live in a period of high specialization in all professional fields, including psychology. Do it!! Because only in this way we will acquire as sports clubs  a competitive advantage in our sporting environment in terms of services and programs offered to coaches, technical team, athletes and their families.

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