New Generation of Professionals Shaping the Mind for Sport: Sport-Exercise Psychology Going the Distance
(ARA) - Growing up, gymnastics was a driving force for Jennifer Roitman. As a college student, she was even able to become a member of the University of Vermont gymnastics team. But one day, while practicing a routine move, tragedy struck: she slipped and all but destroyed her knee. She was beyond crushed. But Jennifer had no intentions of retiring. Although the rehabilitation was intense and very painful, Jennifer managed to recover to compete in her senior year.
Roitman pursued a graduate degree in sport psychology at Argosy University/Phoenix after recalling the assistance and motivation she required after her own injury. "I wanted to work with athletes overcoming obstacles, to become a catalyst through which they could both mentally and physically recover from their injuries. I know I could have used that!"
Today, she works with athletes as a Mental Toughness Trainer at the Boston offices of Head Games, a Phoenix-based practice devoted to the mental health of athletes, coaches, and parents. As an associate at Head Games, Jennifer spends her time educating athletes, coaches, teams, and parents on the value of mental toughness training. In addition to dealing with the psychological aspect of sports, Jennifer also has a passion for assisting athletes in their transition from the 'sport world' to the 'real world'. She even works an additional job as an Employment Specialist/Career Counselor with the hopes of one day working with student-athletes in the career advisement arena.
In recent years, sport has become a multi-billion dollar business, more than twice the size of the auto industry. As a result, sport became one of the 10 largest industries in the United States. The sport industry, due to its wide variety of positions, places unique demands on those involved including the ability to acquire key skills such as management, marketing, accounting, finance, economics, communications, and legal skills specific to the sport setting. For decades schools have prepared students for positions in the business community, however, very few have provided students with any sport related psychology training. Sports teams and sports-related businesses today are requiring the preparation of a new kind of sport specialist - the sport/exercise psychologist.
What is Sport Psychology? According to the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology (AAASP), "the study of sport psychology involves extending theory and research into the field to educate coaches, athletes, and parents with the goals of facilitating optimal sport involvement and performance. Although there are many specific concepts within applied sport psychology (e.g., goal setting, concentration, relaxation, imagery), the general goal is to teach athletes the mental skills necessary to perform consistently in training and competition and to help them realize their potential as people and athletes."
Dr. Robert Harmison, head of the sport psychology program at Argosy University/Phoenix's Arizona School of Professional Psychology says, "The Master of Arts in Sport-Exercise Psychology (MA) program is designed to educate and train students to function as capable and ethical performance enhancement specialists. This two-year degree is intended to meet the needs of students seeking employment in a variety of settings, including private practice, athletic departments, coaching, team sports, exercise/health, and education, or those who will ultimately pursue their doctorate."
Today, Jennifer reflects upon her 15 years in competitive sports with absolutely no regrets. She has found that the lessons one needs in order to achieve excellence in sports are identical to those needed to achieve excellence in life. "Sports are a wonderful thing. I believe that what can be learned in sport can be applied to life. The experiences one finds as a result of being involved in sport directly influences who they will become. Sport psychology is a powerful tool."
Argosy University/Phoenix is one of 13 Argosy University (www.argosyu.edu) campuses and four extension sites across the nation offering undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate degrees in the disciplines of business, education, health sciences, and psychology and behavioral sciences. Argosy University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association (NCA) (30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602, (312) 263-0456, www.ncahlc.org).
The parent company of Argosy University, Education Management Corporation (www.edmc.com) is among the largest providers of private post-secondary education in North America, based on student enrollment and revenue. Student enrollment exceeded 66,000 as of fall 2004. EDMC has 71 primary campus locations in 24 states and two Canadian provinces. EDMC's education institutions offer a broad range of academic programs concentrated in the media arts, design, fashion, culinary arts, behavioral sciences, health sciences, education, information technology and business fields, culminating in the award of associate's through doctoral degrees. EDMC has provided career-oriented education for over 40 years.
For more information about the M.A. degree program in sport/exercise psychology, visit (www.argosyu.edu/sep).
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