Sports Psychologist Salary is has high as $153,000 in 2016. US Department of Labor states that the median salary for sports psychologists ranges between $41,850 and $71,880. The profession is one that supports athletes in professional capacity, schools and recreation. There are a number of challenges associated with sportsmen’s performance.
Most of the top earners have a masters or doctorate degree in sports psychology, they are excellent motivators and counselors. That is why they are highly sought after in most established sports team, school and organization. To be a top earner in this discipline, one most have the skills, reputation and degree to make it possible to distinguish oneself.
Sports Psychologist Salary
The Sports Psychologist Salary is between $41,850 and $71,880, this is obtained from the US Department of Labor states statistics. The starting salary may be low, with more experience, skills and reputation on the job the salary increases. However top experienced consultants working with top professional athletes can expect to has high as $153,000.
The salary of sports psychologist working in schools, professional clubs differ, this is influenced by how big or professional the employer is. The government of nations also employ sports psychologist for its national teams, especially for world tournaments like the Olympics, Soccer World Cup, FIBA games and more. The income earned is also influenced by location, state, age, need for the services and more.
Sports Psychologist Job Description
A sports psychologist may be a teacher, practitioner, researcher or trainer, this has even been splited to new roles and units to meet with the peculiar need of the clients involved. They use their psychological skills to help athletes excel in their sports careers, overall psychological and physical well-being of athletes, dealing with the systematic issues that are prevalent in sports organizations, and shaping the developmental and social impact that sports participation has on athletes.
Sports psychologist job description includes the following below:
- Jobs are available with sports teams and organisations, as well as universities and colleges, throughout the USA and abroad. Sport psychology is well established in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Spain, Germany and France.
- They teach motivational techniques as well as ways to improve overall feelings of well-being, so that the athlete is able to overcome psychological barriers and perform at their top physical and mental level.
- The tend to sick and injured athletes, they can also work in a military environment especially the training school and rehabilitation centers.
- Provide consulting or counseling services to coaches, trainers, team managers, referees and other sports administrators/leaders.
- They help improve team building and integration, help new team members settle down. Advice on coping skills and performance improvement strategies. They wade in to resolve conflicts and prevent its occurrence if noticed. Most importantly they help injured athletes during and after their recovery.
- Other activities include, coaching, trainings, speaking, book authoring and manual preparations.
Sports Psychologist Schools and Training
To train has a sports psychologist you must hold a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a specialized masters in Sports Psychology, a doctorate degree will give you advantage in this profession. A 3 or 4 years bachelors degree, followed by 18 months to 2 years Masters degree and another 4 – 6 years for the doctorate degree.
You can opt to study online or campus, the program involves practical sessions and assignments. Top schools in the US and UK offer sports psychology as a course. You can check for schools offering the course in the school finder box beside or below.