Working as a Sport and Exercise Psychologist: a career filled with creativity and flexibility
Hello everyone and welcome to our next installment of the Pathways to Psychology blog. Today we have the pleasure of learning from a colleague based in the field of Sport Psychology, Dr Elanor Cormack.
Dr Elanor Cormack
DPsych, CPsychol
Sport & Exercise Psychologist (HCPC Registered)
Cormack Psychology Web: cormackpsychology.com
Tel: 07737 075617
Social: @cormackpsych
I am a Sport & Exercise Psychologist and work across a range of Universities and in private practice. I took a slightly unorthodox route to get here as this is not my first career. I actually worked in sports development / management for a decade and find that this has helped me in my current career, as I have an excellent understanding of the structures and pressures on national governing bodies, which I can draw on when I work with them in my new role.
My starting point was an Undergraduate degree in Psychology at University of Glasgow. I didn’t do that because I wanted to be a Psychologist though. I wasn’t sure aged 17 what I wanted to do, but it seemed interesting and a good basis for whatever I decided to go into. Little did I know that I would come full circle – one of my roles is now teaching Psychology at Glasgow! I am leaping ahead though. I did an MSc in Sports Management and worked with governing bodies and in the third sector to promote participation and performance in sport. I enjoyed much of these roles, particularly event management and project work, but after a decade or so I was looking for a change. At this point, I looked at what parts of my jobs I liked best and identified that it was when I was working to develop individuals. This had been particularly powerful when we had been part of a scheme to bring young people into work and I had mentored them and witnessed their development. This was especially satisfying for me and I realised I wanted to feel like I was having an impact on people’s lives. This led me back to my original Psychology education and I decided to bring the two parts together into Sport Psychology.
I started my re-training with an MSc in Sport & Exercise Psychology at Staffordshire University, via distance learning. I did this, whilst still working full-time in a role that meant I travelled across Britain, so it was quite the challenge to combine the two. The benefit of this was that it was a test of just how much I wanted to see the change through. After success with the MSc I decided to take the plunge and train full-time through the Professional Doctorate route at Glasgow Caledonian University. It was quite the adjustment to go back to being a full-time student again, but I am convinced this was the best route for me. The 3-year course includes structured learning of counselling skills, consultancy, and research, so it meant I had support to develop in a space that was new to me. The links I made on the course have also continued into other areas of work beyond the University. The other benefit of the course was that it gave me my Chartered status as well as a Doctorate, all in one package.
Nowadays, I choose to work partly with Universities, delivering a range of teaching and dissertation supervision. Currently, I chose to do this on flexible contracts so that I have time to develop my private practice. The aim is to have a nicely balanced portfolio career that gives me the space to explore new opportunities as they come along. My private practice work ranges from individual clients on performance pathways, to season-long support to sports teams, to one-off psycho-education and interventions. I am also in the process of developing new programmes in the exercise domain. One of the aspects I am passionate about in my practice is making Sport & Exercise Psychology accessible to people who would not normally think it is for them. I firmly believe that everyone can benefit from it, not just elite athletes. A recent example of work in this area is a mountain biking workshop and ride with a group of recreational riders to help them to reframe cycling uphill into a more satisfying (and even enjoyable) experience. I really enjoy this type of work as it keeps me active and gives me the impact and feedback that led me to this career in the first place. Combining this with supporting people over the longer-term and at more depth is highly satisfying.
I fully recognise that the approach I have chosen to form my new career is more difficult than looking for one full-time role (either with a University or a sports organisation) and it comes with its challenges. I am happy that it suits me though as I am at a stage in my life where flexibility is key and I love the control and choice it gives me over my work. Sport & Exercise Psychology is a growth area and there is endless potential for where it can go so to be able to shape some of that, is fascinating. For anyone considering it as a career, it is important though that they understand that there are not as many ‘jobs’ in this area as in others in Psychology so some flexibility and creativity is needed to find your perfect role.
Comments
Post a Comment