Adelaide Crows part ways with Collective Minds
The Australian Psychological Society (APS) says the proliferation of unqualified and unregistered people offering mental well-being and performance-enhancing programs to elite sporting clubs is putting players’ mental health at risk.
APS CEO Frances Mirabelli says sporting clubs should undertake proper due diligence to ensure they are working with registered psychologists.
Ms Mirabelli says, “Psychologists are registered for good reason. They are working in domains where potential harm can be done.”
“Mental health issues manifest in a range of ways and there is a real risk to people’s wellbeing when they are not handled by professionals who are trained to recognise and treat mental health conditions with appropriate care.”
In Australia psychology is a regulated profession. This means that people who call themselves a psychologist or say they are practising as a psychologist must be registered with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA).
APS sports psychologist Jeff Bond believes the growth of sport in Australia has seen an increase in the number of unqualified people approaching professional sporting clubs because there is good money to be made.
Mr Bond says, “The AFL is always looking for the next guru to provide them with a winning formula, so they are primed for these unqualified and unregistered people.”
“They show great websites and great testimonials about how good they are, and whose mind they have been able to change to become winners. They get picked up by clubs who are desperate to find the key to winning.”
He says, “They don’t use the term psychologist. They use phrases such as: We’re mentoring, we’re in the mind space, we’re coaching them to be better people. They come up with a whole range of explanations for what they’re doing without using the term psychology or necessarily promoting themselves as psychologists.”
“But at the end of the day they are not qualified to be doing what they are doing.”
Registered psychologists are required to have a minimum of six years of university training and supervised experience, and to engage in ongoing education to keep their skills and knowledge up to date.
They must also adhere to certain strict standards to keep their registration, and must provide professional services according to a strict code of ethics, written by the APS.
You can check on the PsyBA website to see whether a person is registered as a psychologist.
For more information, or to arrange an interview call the APS Media team on 03 8662 3358 / 0435 896 444, or email. Find the APS Media team on Twitter: @AustPsych
The APS is the largest professional organisation for psychologists in Australia, representing more than 27,000 members. The APS is committed to advancing psychology as a discipline and profession. It spreads the message that psychologists make a difference to people’s lives, through improving psychological knowledge and community wellbeing.