I want to be repetitive by saying that, in Italy, probably one of the primary causes of the reduced recognition and affirmation of the professional role of the sport psychologist is the psychologists themselves.
This weekend the master’s program we organized in Milan ends, and the participants presented the project work of their internship period. Well in some sports clubs a psychologist was already present or had worked in the recent past. In one swimming club the colleague had left a totally negative perception of himself, in another as many as two psychologists had taken turns and never completed the work because after a few months they had left, in another case the psychologist only did online interventions, in another he was a relative of the president and was never on the field, and in yet another he only took care of the competitive team but did nothing with the younger ones.
Now in all these situations the Master’s psychologists intervened, and thanks instead to their effective counseling approach they managed to convey another perception of our profession and were ultimately appreciated for the work they did. Of course they had the supervision of Daniela Sepio and myself and were provided with appropriate tools but the success factor was their professional willingness to get in touch with the sports environment to understand its needs and formulate possible responses.
On the other hand, I regret that many colleagues lack this sensitivity and the enthusiasm necessary to understand that without proper training they will never be able to pursue this profession. I also regret that those who organize master’s degrees in psychology do not understand that only through internships, as is the case in every profession, can one really test oneself and how much one is learning.
I also wonder if this might not be due to the fact that many master’s degree directors, themselves, have had only a reduced experience in the counseling world and often limited to one age group or only one sport.
Those who would like to know more can contact me.
