Post by Urban Johnson.

The local organizers of the ECSS Congress 2015 in Malmö will endeavour to increase the number of sessions and presentations – of all kinds – within the Social Sciences & Humanities area. To that end we will utilize the blog to present some of the sessions, and later presentations, in this area.

The invited session The development of expertise and competencies of applied sport psychologists in Europe is chaired by Dr. Uran Johnson, Halmstad University in Sweden, and the presenters are Paul Wylleman, Vrije Universiteit Brussel,  Chris Harwood, Loughborough University, and Vana Hutter, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Within the field of applied sport psychology (ASP), interest in professional practice is growing, and we are faced with the challenge of developing not only our professional status but also the competencies and level of expertise of providers. In three presentations, this symposium will highlight the latest research and the most salient aspects of ASP support provision in general, and the expertise and competencies required and used by ASP support providers, in particular.

Paut Wylleman, Chris Harwood and Vana Hutter.

In the first presentation, Professor Paul Wylleman from Free University, Brussels, Belgium will present “The Professional Development of the ASP Practitioner.” Using a qualitative methodology, 12 ASP providers were questioned about their competencies. Respondents felt novice professionals should attempt to acquire self-knowledge, knowledge on how to (initiate) work with people, and competencies with mental skills. Knowledge of (the requirements of) sport was related to mature ASP practitioners. Counselling, communication, and social/interpersonal skills were deemed important throughout the career. Diagnostic skills was more linked to the novice professional, whereas being able to work individually, use and learn from experience, and provide supervision were linked to the experienced professional.

In the second presentation, Associate Professor Chris Harwood from Loughborough University, England will present “Working Effectively in Youth Sport: Reflections of a Lead Sport Psychologist.” Childhood and adolescence are key stages within which psychosocial skills and identity are developing in young sports performers. In this presentation, the Lead Psychologist (with 18 years of experience) of a National Federation and a professional youth soccer academy will offer his reflections of the competencies required when working in youth sport settings. The synergy of humanistic and cognitive-behavioral approaches to sport psychology will be discussed along with the significance of self-concept, self-identity, and self-regulation to the health of the talented young person in sport.

In the third presentation Dr Vana Hutter from University Amsterdam, the Netherlands will present “Becoming a Competent Practitioner in Sport Psychology: Typical Challenges and Effective Learning Experiences.” Novice sport psychologists struggle with many challenges during their training and first professional steps. Analyses of 369 questions which novice sport psychologists asked their supervisors during supervised practice resulted in a model of supervisory issues in applied sport psychology. From this model implications are drawn for the education and training of sport psychologists. The methodology used is applicable to the education and training of other professionals in sport sciences, and therefore of interest to educators in (applied) sport sciences.

Urban Johnson
Halmstad University