Examining careers in sport psychology: Who is working and who is making money?

Abstract

Can psychologists earn a living working in sport psychology? The authors surveyed all professional members of American Psychological Association Division 47 and the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology regarding their income and work in sport psychology. Four hundred and thirty-three individuals responded. Sport scientists were more likely to be working in academic settings and had incomes consistent with psychologists in academia. Sport scientists in applied settings were less successful financially. Clinical and counseling psychologists in applied settings were supplementing their incomes through applied sport psychology work. Part-time, supplemental involvement in sport psychology appears more practical today than full-time employment. Sport psychology offers professional psychologists a relatively new area of specialization as well as a potential additional source of income. Professional practice interest in the area has grown in recent years (Hays, 1995), but can a professional psychologist earn a living in this subspecialty? Petrie and Diehl (1995) surveyed 1,000 members of the clinical psychology division of the American Psychological Association (APA) and found that 22% of the respondents had consulted with athletes or teams and that 48% had provided therapy to this population. Reflecting a growing interest in sport psychology, two professional organizations have emerged (APA Division 47, which is the Division of Exercise and Sport Psychology, and the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology