Sports Psychology Career Paper

Ever since I was a kid, it has been my life goal to help as many people I can. I have moved around in many different areas of the medical field, but no career had caught my eye as much as physical therapy. As an athlete, I have been in and out of the physical therapist’s office for a majority of my life. Each time I have went I could not help but be beyond grateful for what these people have done for me; they have given me the ability to play the sport I love despite all the hiccups. Physical therapy is a dynamic field within the field of medicine because as a physical therapist one can make a difference in the lives of his or her patients, enjoy job security, and enjoy a rewarding and personally satisfying career.

The article titled “NCAA Athletic Administrators’ Preferred Characteristics for Sport Psychology Positions: A Consumer Market Analysis” uses a consumer marketing approach to look at the market for sport psychology positions. A research tool used was an internet based survey asking 2,976 Athletic administrators what characteristics they prefer

In accordance to Rotella (1990)’s philosophy of service, I think the most important thing to accomplish when one first starts working with a client is to figure out what exactly the client wants out of this relationship, what goals they want to accomplish, how they think they can accomplish these goals, and what they need from me in order to get there. A consultant can do this by being completely up front with their athlete about what they are or are not capable of doing and what they are trained to do. Although I would be thrilled to work with any type of professional or college athlete, my ultimate dream is to be the on-staff sport psychology consultant for a collegiate athletic department. My goal in that position, besides being the best consultant I can be for my clients of course, will be to normalize counseling. Many athletes shy away from seeking out consults from a sport psychology consultant because they are afraid of being seen by their teammates, coaches, friends, etc. as “head cases” going to see a “shrink” (Gould & Damarjian, 1998). If I can change that perception and help athletes see the benefits of sport psychology consulting, then I would have done my job well. I think the best way I can accomplish this goal is by keeping a friendly, laid-back, non-judgmental attitude with my clients

Physical Therapy is an active, helpful career. It focuses on rehabilitation to reestablish full function and mobility to the patient. Anyone and everyone can qualify for physical therapy. Patients differ in age and race, and of course, by their illness or injury. The job involves possessing and using knowledge to diagnose the patient and establish a management plan deciding what therapy will benefit and improve the patient’s condition and averaging how long it will take to accomplish.

After meeting the the Head Coach and discussing the above scenario, I would have to assess the situation in person at the training facility, interview the coaches, observe the athletes in their training environment with and without the coaches, and then conduct a battery of test with the athletes. During this time (one week), I would also be indirectly creating a positive relationship with both the coaches and the athletes. In order for any sport psychology program to be effective, there has to be a sound and trustworthy relationship with the organization. The Head Coach must believe that sport psychology can enhance their performance while providing effective means of coping and or eliminating any mental health issues with his staff and

Physical therapists provide the service of the helping of restoring muscular or nerve damage upon a living organism. They improve the functions of mobility, help relieve pain, and prevent permanent physical damage of patients with injuries or disease. Fitness and health are key to helping patients get through physical therapy. Patient problems vary from physical disabilities such as car accidents to nerve damage like arthritis. Physical therapists, or also known as PT’s, start off by viewing the patients medical history, then they test the patients strength, range of motion, posture, balance and coordination, respiration, muscle performance,

This causes their mind to be in a clear state and be able to perform well while training. When they have to to perform for an event their mind is not at its normal state. “Athletes that have not had exposure to sports psychology are often to go through completed stage of change, decisional balance, and self efficacy questionnaires. This means that they are not psychologically ready to take on performance related performances that are not in a familiar environment” (Powell, 2011). This does not entirely mean that athletes that do not get informed with sports psychology perform poorly. There are things such as achievement motivation, and grit that help them perform well. Based on the information that has been addressed it is true that a person’s mind set is different when one is going to perform in any kind of sport.

Starts with peak performance. Coleman Griffith father of sports psychology, Dorothy Yates single individuals not teams. Later on the focus is still on peak performance. Start of first sports psychology organization. Now it is expanding into multiple areas of interest. All from an interactionist view point.

It has been identified that through sports psychology one can improve their physical ability and performance. Sports psychology is the study of how the mind, mental states and behaviour effect sporting performance. There are several sport psychology techniques, which have helped me become a better volleyball player. These techniques include planning for performance, controlling arousal levels, mental rehearsal and concentration.

Life can change in a split second when an unanticipated injury or disease hinders someone’s normal daily life. Modern medicine, physicians and families can only do so much but physical therapy can help recoup the life many of us take for granted. It often isn’t until we lose something that we as humans realize what we had such as the value of our body’s ability to take us through each day. A physical therapist is the person who stays with a patient for the duration of the rehabilitation process. A physical therapist leads the patient through the process of regaining physical strength and helps the patient regain control of their future. Much like many careers that involve interaction with individuals, physical therapy reaches beyond

From firsthand knowledge as a patient for many months’ patient education is the most important tool. I did not know what would worsen or improve my pain or injury until I had a well-developed treatment plan. A physical therapist can work in almost any environment or setting from elderly patients to sports medicine.

When it comes to wanting a career in sports, there are multiple professions and paths that lead to your destination. However, of all the options, you better expect to work hard while keeping an open mind if you want to succeed in reaching your goal.

When it comes to emotions and psychological well being athletes are not machines and they should not be expected to deny any mental struggles. Trainers, coaches, and physical therapists are there for their physical training but they also require psychological support. Those closest to the athletes need to learn to recognize the warning signs such as an overly self-critical nature, perfectionism, and fear of failure to be able to seek out help for the athletes. Sport governing bodies and organizations should induce protocols and procedures about how peers, coaches, and support staff can help when dealing with an athlete suffering from a mental illness. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has released “Mind, Body and Sport - Understanding and Supporting Student-Athlete Mental Wellness” which is a resource developed to provide information and outline the roles and responsibilities of sports staff and coaches as well as identifies the Models of service, and NCAA resources and policies. This is an extremely helpful and reliable source that other sporting organizations should follow. Also, high performance programs for both individual and team sports should require programs to have a team sport psychologist to be readily available for athletes, and to work with them on throughout the sporting season to be able to develop mental skills to better them on, and off the court. It should become the “responsibility (of the sport association) to provide the services and care to help each athlete reach his or her full potential” (Hainline 2014, 7) In some situations, Sport psychologists may find themselves having to address mental health issues with the athletes they counsel that they may find is out of their capability to deal with mental health problems. It may be

Physical Therapy is prominent in treating diseases and disabilities. Physical Therapy takes part in treating heart and lung diseases, types of paralysis, and some muscle weaknesses. It helps stroke victims recover to maximum strength in their condition. These are some of the many reasons that physical therapists are needed now, and always will be.

Physical therapy is the health profession that provides treatment and management of physical disability, malfunction, or pain via various modalities, and without the use of medicines, surgery, or radiation [1]. An individual who practices physical therapy is known as a physical therapist. Physical therapists are experts of the musculoskeletal and neuromuscular systems, and they evaluate and treat patients for issues that involve those systems [2]. The role of a physical therapist is to evaluate patients, and to provide treatment to patients that focus primarily on movement. This includes, but is not limited to, restoration of movement as well as improving movement, reducing pain levels, returning function that may have been lost, and improving function.[2] “The most predominant clinical setting where physical therapists… provide care include hospitals, outpatient clinics, private practices, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home health, school systems, and sport centers [2].” Typically, to receive access to the services provided by a physical therapist, a patient has to be referred to a physical therapist by a physician. [2] Therefore, physical therapy is usually a secondary health care. The profession of physical therapy sounds fantastic, because it is. However, the art of physical therapy wasn’t just born a perfect creature; it took some time to develop as a great profession.