Abstract
- A fundamental issue in applied sport psychology is the development of competent professionals who can provide effective and ethical service to clients. New changes to the AASP Certification program, along with the growth of the field, warrant additional attention on the best approaches for building service delivery competence in novice practitioners. The current study uses a qualitative longitudinal design to track the arc of development of five novice sport psychology practitioners in their first year of practice. Data were analyzed and integrated from surveys, interviews, and journals to compare the experiences reported by these novice professionals to the job task analysis as well as a developmental model of supervision. Particpants reported increased confidence and flexibility over time, and reduced their perceived anxiety and dependence on supervision. These changes were similar in nature to what has been reported for counseling trainees, but seemed to happen more quickly. The key sub-themes of development connected more closely to domains identified within the JTA than to those identified within the developmental model of supervision, which are a reference for counselor development. These findings highlight some differences between sport psychology and counseling development.