What is Sport Psychology? What Sport Psychology is Not?
A blue running track with six small yellow cones.
In a previous blog post, we discussed mental health and mental health stigma. Now it seems appropriate that we bring up sport psychology to understand more about what sport psychology is and what it is not. And, yes there still is stigma and misunderstanding surrounding this branch of psychology. While this post will focus more on setting up a foundational understanding, the next blog post will focus more on discussing the stigma in sport psychology and athlete mental health.
Defining Sport Psychology and the Profession
The American Psychology Association (2008) describes sport psychology as a discipline that utilizes psychology as knowledge and skills to support the optimal performance and well-being of athletes, developmental and social aspects of participating in sports, and systemic issues that infiltrate sports and sport organizations. What does all that mean? Sport psychology aims to help athletes, performing artists, and even business professionals:
Improve their performance and well-being
Develop mental skills like focus, motivation, confidence, goals, and emotional regulation
Help support the psychological aspects of participating in athletics or performing arts including injury prevention, injury recovery, anxiety, and developmental and systemic issues within organizations such as racism, sexism, etc.
The American Psychological Association (APA) is very clear about who can call themself a sport psychologist. To be a sport psychologist one must have a doctoral degree in sport psychology and be a licensed psychologist. With that said there are many professionals out there who have master’s and doctoral degrees in sport psychology or sport and performance psychology who are perfectly able to help athletes. They just are not allowed to call themselves sport psychologists. They go by sport and performance consultant, coach, or professional or something similar. For the remainder of this blog post, sport and performance consultant (SPC) will be used to include all professionals dedicated to helping athletes. PS. To make things even more complicated some SPCs may also have training in the clinical realm and have additional credentials like licensed professional counselor (LPC). SPCs can work with individual athletes, teams, coaches, or even the staff that supports sports teams depending on the needs of the sports organization.
Sport Psychology is Not Mental Health Counseling
Now that we know what sport psychology is, let’s differentiate it from mental health counseling because sport psychology is not mental health counseling and vice versa. The American Counseling Association (2025) defines counseling as a “professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education and career goals.” Another way to word is that mental health counseling is a discipline within psychology that aims to support, empower, and guide people who want support in engaging with emotional, psychological, or behavioral topics. Here is where people tend to have misunderstandings. Mental health counseling is not just for people who have a diagnosis of Depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, etc. as defined by the The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR). Counseling can be beneficial for anyone who wants to engage with their mental health and wellness! Within the counseling there are Licensed Psychologists (LP), Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC), Licensed Marriage and Family Counselor (LMFT), and Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW) to name a few. All of these professionals have different educational backgrounds and licensure requirements. There is a link in the learn more section that helps break the license types and shares more about them if you are interested.
The bottom line is that SPCs help equip people with skills and tools to help with their performance, while a mental health counselor helps people with their mental health, specifically. This is perhaps a bit of an over simplification, but it hopefully gets the point across.
Intersections and Overlaps
With the differences made clear, let’s blur the lines a little bit. Earlier in the post there was mention of how an SPC could also hold another degree and/or license connected to the mental health field such as an LPC. A person who holds themselves in both roles is thus skilled in working in both fields and can provide services based on their license (LPC), education, and experience. With this opportunity also comes great responsibility. It is important for a professional who works in both areas to be mindful and clear about what service they are providing to a client and maintain those boundaries. There are numerous reasons for this in terms of laws, regulations, ethics, etc. One example from the legal and regulatory perspective is that mental health licenses like the LPC are bound by the state in which the license has been given. This means that a person with a license in the state of Arizona can only work with clients who are physically present in the state of Arizona. SPCs on the other hand, if they are not a licensed psychologist, have a little bit more flexibility and can cross state boundaries because they are providing consulting and coaching services, not counseling services. In the coming years, it would not be surprising if states begin regulating coaching more and devising additional guidelines and regulations to support the field of coaching. With all that said, an SPC with a mental health counseling background may use some of that knowledge to support their sport and performance psychology work within certain boundaries so they do not cross into the counseling realm. Likewise, if a mental health counselor is doing counseling with an athlete, for example, they may bring in some sport and performance psychology skills if they are clinically needed.
The bottom line here is that professionals need to be mindful of their boundaries if they hold multiple roles and for interested clients in either the mental health counseling or sport psychology realm remember to ask questions to find the professional that works best for your needs.
take action today moment:
Remember that seeking support to help with performance or mental health can be important. Some have learned that we need to do everything ourselves, and not ask for help or support. The truth is that humans are social creatures, and we were made to connect and help either other out. So remember that help and support is available. Take the time to find the support or help that you need whether that is with your mental health, performance, or another topic. It is worth it!
Learn More About Sport psychology:
What Is Sports Psychology? 9 Scientific Theories & Examples
What Do Those Abbreviations Mean After a Psychotherapist's Name?
References
American Counseling Association. (2025). What is counseling?. https://www.counseling.org/mental-health-counseling/what-is-counseling
American Psychological Association. (2008). Sport psychology. https://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/specialize/sports