Sports Psychologists are professionals who help sportspersons work on their well-being and performance. They also help with injury-rehabilitation, team building, burnout or career transitioning. Sports psychologists work with athletes as well as coaches, parents, administrators, fitness professionals, performers and organizations.
Personal Competencies
You have strong interest in sports and psychology
You have excellent interpersonal and communication skills
You are good at building trust and maintaining confidentiality
You are willing to serve and help others
Entry Pathway
1. Complete 10+2 in any stream
2. Complete a Bachelor's degree (BA/BSc) in Psychology followed by a Master's degree in Sports Psychology
OR
Complete a PhD in Sports psychology and then become a member of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) to be able to start a practice in India and elsewhere (AASP is an international multidisciplinary body providing certification for professionals who are qualified. This certification is widely accepted and helps in boosting the career of a Sports Psychologist)
Please check the duration of the course during enrolment
Where will you study?
This course is offered by the department of Psychology. This list of institutes is indicative only
Government Institutes 1. Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab 2. Central University of Rajasthan, Ajmer, Rajasthan 3. Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 4. National Sports University, Koutruk, Manipur 5. Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh 6. University of Delhi North Campus 7. MS University, Vadodara 8. Dibrugarh University, Assam
Private Institutes (Please check if Institute is affiliated and accredited with UGC before applying) 1. The Sports School, Bengaluru, Karnataka 2. Institute of Sports Science and Technology, Pune, Maharashtra 3. St. Francis College for Women, Hyderabad 4. Amity University (Multiple states) 5. Sri Ramchandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai 6. Sister Nivedita University, Kolkata 7. NMIMS University, Indore 8. Assam Downtown University, Guwahati
Distance Learning Institutes Indira Ganshi National Open University (IGNOU)
Fees
The approx. course fee ranges between INR 20,000-1,60,000*
*(These figures are estimated numbers and will vary from institute to institute)
Scholarships & Loans
SCHOLARSHIPS
• National Scholarship Portal - Please visit http://www.scholarships.gov.in. Under this portal there are Central Government schemes offered by different Departments, UGC/AICTE Schemes and State Schemes* • Please visit http://www.buddy4study.com for details on available scholarships. This is a gateway to scholarships starting from Class XI* • Scholarships are also available in the Institutes based on merit*
*(Availability of these scholarships can vary from time to time)
LOANS
• VidyaLakshmi, http://www.vidyalakshmi.co.in, is a portal for students seeking education loan. This portal has been developed under the guidance of the Department of Financial Services, (Ministry of Finance), Department of Higher Education (Ministry of Human Resource Development) and Indian Banks Association (IBA) • Some states have student credit cards with low interest rates, for instance, West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, etc. • All banks give education loans
Where will you work?
Places of Work: Sporting Clubs at State, National and International Levels, Schools and Colleges, Psychology Clinics and Centres, Individual Celebrities in different performance arts, Sports Authority of India etc
Work Environment: You will spend most of your time working in office and hospital environments, but some of your time will also be spent in the same environments as the athletes you counsel. Work hours can remain flexible, depending on the organization
Opportunities for work exist for differently abled in this field
Expected Growth Path
Sports Psychologists → Personal Trainer → Performance Psychologist
Expected Income
The approx. salary of a Sports Psychologist ranges between INR 81,000 - 1,40,000* per month.
Dr. Mrinal Chakraborty is a Sports Psychologist working at Joint and Bone Care Hospital in Salt Lake, Kolkata. He specializes in Hypnotherapy, Timeline Therapy and Creative Visualization. He has been involved with major sports events like: Junior India Hockey World Cup Champion, 2016 And Indian Archery World Cup, Berlin 2017 and is a personal coach to several olympians and paralympians. Chakraborty is a Mental Toughness Trainer for youth sports and others and implements the NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming).*
Sports Psychologist
NCS Code: NA | SP121. Complete 10+2 in any stream
2. Complete a Bachelor's degree (BA/BSc) in Psychology followed by a Master's degree in Sports Psychology
OR
Complete a PhD in Sports psychology and then become a member of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) to be able to start a practice in India and elsewhere (AASP is an international multidisciplinary body providing certification for professionals who are qualified. This certification is widely accepted and helps in boosting the career of a Sports Psychologist)
Please check the duration of the course during enrolment
This course is offered by the department of Psychology.
This list of institutes is indicative only
Government Institutes
1. Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab
2. Central University of Rajasthan, Ajmer, Rajasthan
3. Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
4. National Sports University, Koutruk, Manipur
5. Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh
6. University of Delhi North Campus
7. MS University, Vadodara
8. Dibrugarh University, Assam
Private Institutes
(Please check if Institute is affiliated and accredited with UGC before applying)
1. The Sports School, Bengaluru, Karnataka
2. Institute of Sports Science and Technology, Pune, Maharashtra
3. St. Francis College for Women, Hyderabad
4. Amity University (Multiple states)
5. Sri Ramchandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai
6. Sister Nivedita University, Kolkata
7. NMIMS University, Indore
8. Assam Downtown University, Guwahati
Information on the institute rankings can be found at - https://www.nirfindia.org/2022/Ranking.html
Distance Learning Institutes
Indira Ganshi National Open University (IGNOU)
The approx. course fee ranges between INR 20,000-1,60,000*
*(These figures are estimated numbers and will vary from institute to institute)
SCHOLARSHIPS
• National Scholarship Portal - Please visit http://www.scholarships.gov.in. Under this portal there are Central Government schemes offered by different Departments, UGC/AICTE Schemes and State Schemes*
• Please visit http://www.buddy4study.com for details on available scholarships. This is a gateway to scholarships starting from Class XI*
• Scholarships are also available in the Institutes based on merit*
*(Availability of these scholarships can vary from time to time)
LOANS
• VidyaLakshmi, http://www.vidyalakshmi.co.in, is a portal for students seeking education loan. This portal has been developed under the guidance of the Department of Financial Services, (Ministry of Finance), Department of Higher Education (Ministry of Human Resource Development) and Indian Banks Association (IBA)
• Some states have student credit cards with low interest rates, for instance, West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, etc.
• All banks give education loans
Places of Work: Sporting Clubs at State, National and International Levels, Schools and Colleges, Psychology Clinics and Centres, Individual Celebrities in different performance arts, Sports Authority of India etc
Work Environment: You will spend most of your time working in office and hospital environments, but some of your time will also be spent in the same environments as the athletes you counsel. Work hours can remain flexible, depending on the organization
Opportunities for work exist for differently abled in this field
Sports Psychologists → Personal Trainer → Performance Psychologist
The approx. salary of a Sports Psychologist ranges between INR 81,000 - 1,40,000* per month.
Source: https://www.salaryexpert.com/salary/job/sport-psychologist/india
*These figures are indicative and subject to change
Experts from the field
Dr. Mrinal Chakraborty is a Sports Psychologist working at Joint and Bone Care Hospital in Salt Lake, Kolkata. He specializes in Hypnotherapy, Timeline Therapy and Creative Visualization. He has been involved with major sports events like: Junior India Hockey World Cup Champion, 2016 And Indian Archery World Cup, Berlin 2017 and is a personal coach to several olympians and paralympians. Chakraborty is a Mental Toughness Trainer for youth sports and others and implements the NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming).*
Source: https://www.curetap.in/Kolkata/doctor/dr-mrinal-chakraborty/
*The above information is for training purposes only and will not be used for any commercial gains
sports psychologist, sports counselor, counselling for sportspersons