Did You Know?
During the 200-meter butterfly final at the 2008 Olympics, Michael Phelps’s goggles filled with water, so he counted his strokes to know when he would reach the wall. He still won gold and set a world record.
The Numbers Behind the Career
About 11,300 psychologist job openings are projected each year over the next decade.
The 2025 median annual salary for psychologist was $99,110.
There were about 209,400 psychologist jobs in the U.S. in 2025.
Where This Career Is Headed
Over the next decade, more teams and programs are likely to treat mental skills as something to build before problems appear, not only after. Practice under pressure may become more lifelike, since virtual reality can already place an athlete in a simulated high-pressure moment, like a penalty kick in front of a loud crowd. As programs for younger athletes grow, mental skills could become part of how coaches are trained, with sports psychologists teaching coaches to lead the work themselves. The field is also still sorting out its job titles, and a 2024 study of college coaches and athletic trainers found that many were unsure what the mental performance consultant credential means, so clear standards for who can do which job will matter more. At the same time, the toolkit is already used with military members, firefighters, police officers, dancers, musicians, and business leaders, so a career that begins in sports can widen into performance work of many kinds.
As mental skills training reaches younger athletes, sports psychologists who can design age-appropriate programs and train coaches to lead them may find new work with schools and youth clubs.
Virtual reality pressure practice could create roles for people who understand both the technology and the athlete’s mind.
Because the toolkit applies beyond sports, a sports psychologist can move into performance work with the military, first responders, performing artists, or business leaders.
Education & Certification
Sports psychologists often start with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, kinesiology, exercise science, or a related field. From there, the path splits. Clinical sport psychologists, who can treat mental health challenges like anxiety and depression, earn a doctoral degree in clinical or counseling psychology, complete supervised training that includes an internship, and pass the exams required for a state license. In most states, only licensed psychologists can legally call themselves psychologists. Other licensed professionals, such as counselors and social workers, can also provide mental health care to athletes, and many professionals who focus only on mental performance use titles such as mental performance consultant.
For mental performance work, professionals can earn the Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) credential, offered by the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. Candidates need a master’s or doctoral degree in sport science, psychology, or a clearly related field such as counseling or social work, while degrees in areas like business, education, or sport management do not qualify. They also complete coursework in eight knowledge areas, including ethics, sport psychology, psychopathology, and research methods, with graduate-level credit required in five of them. Next comes a 400-hour mentored experience, with at least 200 hours working directly with clients, followed by a certification exam. Certified consultants sign a code of ethics and renew their certification every five years by completing 75 continuing education units.
To Prepare...
Take psychology, biology, and health or physical education classes to build the science behind how the mind and body work together.
Take statistics if your school offers it, since sports psychology relies on research and understanding data.
Play a sport, or help a team as a manager or scorekeeper, to see how athletes and coaches handle pressure up close.
