If you listen very hard, a tune will come to you: Applied sport psychologist professional training and development.

Citation

Tod D, Eubank M, Nesti M, Smith M, McEwan H & Hutter V (2017) If you listen very hard, a tune will come to you: Applied sport psychologist professional training and development. [Dazed and confused: The stairway to reason (Invited symposium).]. International Sport Psychology World Congress, Seville, 10.07.2017-14.07.2017. https://issponline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017-ISSP_Proceedings_Book.pdf

Abstract
**Symposium Abstract** Over the past two decades, formal education and registration, accreditation, and licensure pathways have been established in several countries across the globe. Variation among theseeducation pathways and registration schemes has resulted from factors such as the influenceof different parent professional bodies (e.g., psychology or sport science organisations) andthe presence or absence of country specific legislation. Nevertheless, these efforts reflect theunderstanding that individuals need to be suitably trained to be effective, safe, and ethicalpractitioners. An associated development has been an increased research focused onpractitioner training and supervision. Such research is needed to inform and optimiseeducation and registration pathways. Ideally, research and practice should inform each otheras encapsulated by the scientist-practitioner model of education. The purpose of the currentsymposium is to bring together researchers and educators to share current investigations tostimulate debate about best practice and new avenues of empirical study. The specificinvestigations presented include (a) an examination of practitioners’ life histories andprofessional identity, (b) a comparison of developmental themes in sport, clinical, andcounselling psychologists, (c) an exploration of the professional decision making process intrainee sport psychologists, (d) an assessment of trainees preferences regarding the contentand process of learning, and (e) a discussion of practitioner development observations insport psychologist professional training. Together the presentations will signal the value of integrating research and practice in helping to ensure that future generations of practitioners are sufficient prepared to help clients and manage their careers. **Abstract** This study explored how UK trainee sport psychologists’ developed their professional judgment and decision-making (PJDM) skills during training. Participants (N = 7) were enrolled on the British Psychological Society Qualification in Sport and Exercise Psychology. Participants were interviewed 4 times over 3 years during training regarding their professional development. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and a deductive thematic analysis was applied based on PJDM literature. Participants emphasised the role ofstorytelling in developing their PJDM skills. For example, listening to the experiences ofother practitioners acted as a prompt for participants to consider the decision-making of the practitioner. Using analytical thinking, a key characteristic of applied practice, participants typically thought about alternative options that may have been available to the practitioner(e.g., why a particular skill was included in an intervention and not others). The developmentof analytical thinking encouraged participants to develop representations of how and why approaches might work in practice. Observation of other practitioners also allowed participants to develop a range of routines that could be used during consultations. Participants identified that being exposed to skills, techniques, and approaches other practitioners used was an opportunity to integrate ideas for the participant’s own practice.The current results suggest opportunities exist in current training to accelerate the development of trainee’s PJDM skills by maximising the use of vicarious experience. For example, training supervisors to embed critical cues (e.g., the moment that the situation is recognised as typical, triggering knowledge and causing shifts in the line of reasoning) within the stories they share, may be useful for expanding the experience base that trainees can draw from in their own future consultations.