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A Life of the Mind
For sports psychologists, the training is rigorous as well, though
not as hard as for medical doctors. And competition is tough,
though the field is growing. The American Psychological
Association(APA) estimated in2012 that about 20 topuniversities
hired their own psychologists for their athletes, while up to 100
more worked with outside sports psychologists. Pro teams also
sometimes bring in psychologists as needed. Positions are also
available with individual athletes. Some parents are hiring
psychologists to help their children do better in sports.
Sports psychologists often open their own practice and seek
out a variety of clients. Dr. Charlie Brown opened a company
calledGet Your Head in the Game, and he sees artistic performers
and business leaders as well as athletes. The skills he uses to
help athletes apply to anyone who faces pressure, especially in
competitive situations. Dr. Sean Richardson told Careers in
Psychology that sports psychologists might spend almost all of
their time working with athletes for a while, then find that work
drops off and they need to seek other clients. They need to be
entrepreneurs
, Richardson said. “If you hope to go look at a
job board and get your dream career, that just probably won’t
happen in this field.”
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