Several types of Psychologists you say?
Really? All psychologists don’t just do counselling, and therapy? Sit people on couches and analyse their behaviour and thinking? You would be quite surprised that psychologists do all types of work in many different areas. Apart from the clinical psychologist, counselling psychologist, the professional counsellor and mental health counsellor (and probably other nomenclature used all over the world), psychologists also can be of the sport, industrial-organizational, consulting, forensic, health, social and personality, experimental, and community types! And many many more! Today, I’ll spend a few words talking a bit about the sport piece.
A sport psychologist essentially teaches mental skills for performance enhancement. These skills help athletes to improve confidence, focus, composure, and intensity while on the court / field / pitch. Remember when Asafa was struggling through injuries and couldn’t seem to perform at the highest level but was burning up the tracks at the “lower levels”? All through his journey I thought that a sport psychologist could have assisted him in dealing with that immense pressure that continued to build year after year while he was also struggling with injuries. Imagine the angst and the levels of anxiety he must have been feeling at every Olympic final? The kind of anxiety that can be debilitating. Or remember when Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan made one of those clutch winning shots at the last second of the basketball game? Those critical moments define professional athletes in a world where talent is not lacking and it is mental toughness and virility that really counts and separates the top from the mediocre. There’s where psychology can play a role.
Sport psychologists can also work with coaches, school programmes and additionally, conducting research in order to help stakeholders understand how to motivate students, design effective coaching strategies, build confidence and enhance community building through sport programmes.
Dr. Kai Morgan is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Immediate Past President of the Jamaica Psychological Society. She teaches and runs a private practice where she and her associates specialize in a number of mental health and life circumstances. She can be contacted at: Kadmorganpractice75@gmail.com
Office number: 8697657
