Abstract

Current interest in, and demand for, sport psychology practice outside educational institutions indicates the need for professional responsibility concerning the quality of these services. The standard of consultancy should in some way reflect competent educational practices. A formalised training program for sport psychologists is proposed that reflects the need to integrate both psychology and exercise science structures. Sport psychologists credentials in psychology should be sufficient to meet eligibility for Associate Membership in the Australian Psychological Society. Furthermore, a minimum of six one-semester courses involving sport psychology should be required from an exercise science program. Content for the sport psychology courses would include topics such as youth sport, women in sport, the handling of elite athletes, group dynamics, personality, motivation, anxiety, aggression, psychological well-being, and aspects of information processing models such as perception and decision-making in sport. In addition, a one-year supervised practicum is advised as an integral part of the course structure. Recommendation is also made for an applied sport psychology association to help plan and monitor the development of sport psychology training. Verf.-Referat