Professional certification serves to identify individuals who have obtained or maintained qualifications to perform a specific work responsibility or task. Furthermore, certification indirectly serves to safeguard the public interest by assuring that the public can identify qualified professionals. In the United States, the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) certifies master’s and doctoral trained professionals as Certified Consultants (CC-AASP). CC-AASP professionals are qualified to assist with performance issues that affect people in all areas of sport and exercise. Although other certifications in sport psychology exist, this entry is focused on the CC-AASP certification because of its connection to the largest nonprofit international organization (AASP) committed to promoting the科学and实践of sport and exercise psychology, and because the CC-AASP certification requirements are consistent with the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 47 Proficiency in Sport Psychology.
认证和许可
Certification is the process by which a nongovernmental organization, in this case AASP, grants recognition to an individual who has met predetermined qualifications specified by that organization. The process of certification is voluntary. Certified individuals have demonstrated the level of knowledge and skill required in the profession, and the certification serves to identify the occupation, role, and skills to the public and stakeholders. Professional practice can be governed by legal requirements. When this is the case, professionals in practice must be licensed. Licensure is given to one by the state.Licensure是该州根据该州的警察权力授予的法律权威,以在指定的实践范围内实践职业。各州根据法规定义了职业的任务和范围,并规定这些任务只能由获得许可的人在法律上执行。许可禁止任何人练习未获得许可的行业,而不管个人是否已获得私人组织认证。迄今为止,AASP认证定义的实践范围不受法律要求的约束。
The most common services provided by CC-AASP professionals include educating individuals, groups, and organizations about the role of psychological factors in sport, exercise, and physical activity, and teaching participants specific mental, behavioral, psychosocial, and emotional control skills in these physical contexts. To date, these activities are not governed by legal requirements, thus there is no requirement for practicing professionals to be licensed to provide these services. Moreover, APA Division 47 Exercise and Sport Psychology has also identified the specific knowledge and training necessary for ethical professional practice in the exercise and sport context. The requirements for CC-AASP and the Division 47 Proficiency in Sport Psychology are consistent and provide clear descriptions of a model for appropriate training for service providers in applied sport and exercise psychology.
认证有助于定义参与应用体育和运动环境咨询的个人的专业和道德责任。此外,认证为公众提供了质量服务所需的培训的定义和示例。反过来,这为公众对心理学对运动和运动的应用的重要性和可能的影响提供了更大的了解。CC-AASP认证的这一进口角色的一个例子是,美国奥林匹克委员会运动心理学登记处需要CC-AASP认证来纳入注册表,才能与美国奥运会运动员合作。
胜任和道德实践的要求
CC-AASP和第47师运动心理学要求的熟练程度指出,专业人员需要有能力练习应用体育心理学的体育和运动心理学广泛的学科知识。尽管一致,但两组要求的不同之处在于,CC-AASP的要求依赖于课程中明确定义的必需品,而第47师的熟练程度要求为运动心理学中的道德实践指定了内容领域的必需品。对于CC-AASP和第47师在运动心理学要求方面的熟练程度,专业人员必须在以下领域具有知识:职业道德和标准;体育活动的生物力学或生理基础;体育活动的历史,哲学,社会或运动行为基础;心理病理学及其评估;咨询技能;研究设计,统计或心理评估;行为的生物基础;行为的认知影响基础; and individual behavior. For CC-AASP, the majority of the courses must be taken at the graduate level and the individual must have completed a master’s or doctoral program. Furthermore, adequate training must include demonstrated competence in the field with mentored structured experiences. Finally, applied sport psychology professionals must show evidence of continued learning to maintain professional expertise. A process of certification renewal exists in the case of CC-AASP to support this end. One important side note is that the Division 47 Proficiency in Sport Psychology has included the knowledge of organizational and system aspects of sport consulting as a content area that is not inherently embedded within the specified coursework requirements for CC-AASP. Nonetheless, the overall uniformity across CC-AASP and Division 47 Proficiency in Sport Psychology requirements supports a clear and consistent depiction of the professional expertise required to practice applied exercise and sport psychology.
Commentary on Necessity for Clearly Defined Expertise and Practice
The AASP certification process initiated in 1989 and has certified over 250 professionals. One could argue that, for a licensed mental health care practitioner, there is little motivation to become CC-AASP certified. Yet there is growing interest in Applied Sport Psychology, and ethical practitioners committed to competent professional practice continue to seek opportunities to learn more about sport and exercise psychology and document professional credentials. A goal would be to increase the number of Certified Consultants so that the number reaches a critical mass that provides an awareness of this credential to the general public. One challenge that exists for professionals in the field is the difficulty in meeting specific coursework requirements. As the academic discipline continues to grow, there is the possibility for accessing online courses. In addition, AASP may consider approving continuing education credits to fulfill knowledge requirements. These as well as other options must be sensitive to maintaining the quality and rigor of the certification coursework requirements. Aoyagi, Portenga, Poczwardowski, Cohen, and Statler (2012) have argued that another possibility for increasing access and feasibility of CC-AASP certification for professionals in the field is to consider a certification exam. Again, the intent would not be to reduce the rigor of the certification process; in fact, those seeking the exam option could still be required to have a graduate degree and specific coursework. However, the exam option would allow for standardized assessment of the core content knowledge while offering a more accessible option for practitioners. An exam might offer a feasible alternative to the current process without diminishing the quality or meaningfulness of the certification.
International Developments in Professional Practice
There is growing international interest in defining the appropriate knowledge and experience for the professional practice of applied exercise and sport psychology. The terms used to identify and define professional practice and credentials (accredited, chartered, registered, certified, licensed)因国家 /地区而异。但是,这些标准确定了运动和运动所需的独特专业知识。例如,英国体育与运动科学协会具有运动心理学的认证认可的运动和运动科学家. In addition, the British Psychological Society Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology has criteria for individual professionals to become Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologists. Furthermore, the Australia Psychology Society College of Sport Psychologists has qualifications beyond those required for basic registration that requires a minimum of 6 years of university training, plus 2 years of supervised practical experience in sport psychology. It is evident that credentials for the expertise are in demand and that this trend is likely to continue and extend across the globe.
Certification provides a clear definition of the qualifications necessary to practice sport and exercise psychology. CC-AASP certification is open to licensed clinical professional counselors, licensed clinical social workers, individuals with master’s level (MS, MA, MEd, or EdM) counselor licensure, individuals with doctoral degrees (EdD, PsyD, or PhD) generally from Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) or APA accredited programs, or individuals from MS or PhD programs in Exercise and Sport Psychology. CC-AASP is a credential (not a licensure) from a professional organization that oversees standards in practice and training. CC-AASP without licensure can limit professional opportunities to those that focus on performance enhancement or mental skills coaching. However, CC-AASP certified professionals who also hold a license are well equipped to help a range of individuals with a range of mental health problems often linked to human performance decrements. The CC-AASP credential is becoming increasingly meaningful within the world of sport and exercise psychology, and is often preferred by employers seeking sport and exercise psychology expertise.
References:
- American Psychological Association. (2013).Public description of sport psychology.取自http://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/specialize/sports.aspx
- Aoyagi, M. W., Portenga, S. T., Poczwardowski, A., Cohen, A. B., & Statler, T. (2012). Reflections and directions: The profession of sport psychology past, present, and future.专业心理学杂志:研究与实践,43,32–38。doi:10.1037/a0025676
- 应用运动心理学协会。(n.d。)。关于应用运动和运动心理学. Retrieved from http://www.appliedsportpsych.org/about/aboutapplied-sport-psych
- 应用运动心理学协会。(n.d。)。Become a certified consultant.取自http:// www.appliedsportpsych.org/Consultants/become-certified
- Australian Psychological Society, College of Sport and Exercise Psychologists. (2012).如何加入。取自http:// www.groups.psychology.org.au/csep/join
- The British Association of Sport and Exerise Sciences. (n.d.).认证. Retrieved from http://www.bases.org.uk/Accreditation/Accreditation
- The British Psychological Society, Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology. (n.d.).如何加入。检索来自http://spex.bps.org.uk/spex/join/join_home.cfm