Ethical dilemmas in sport psychology: A dialogue on the unique aspects impacting practice.

Abstract

The multidisciplinary field of applied sport psychology, a specialty area of psychology practice, has been acknowledged as a proficiency area by the American Psychological Association (APA, 2007). This unique discipline often requires the psychologist to work outside the realm of traditional practice. In doing so, sport psychologists frequently encounter unique ethical dilemmas. In an effort to promote awareness and dialogue, this article describes some of the more commonly faced ethical considerations in applied sport psychology. Issues related to developing and maintaining competence in the field, confidentiality, and boundary issues are discussed, and case examples are provided to illustrate the relevant ethical consideration. Subsequently, three applied sport psychology experts respond to the lead article's discussion and offer poignant reflections on ethical issues presented. In addition, suggestions for successfully resolving ethical dilemmas related to competence, confidentiality, and boundary issues in sport psychology are discussed.

Applied Sport Psychology: A Profession?

“…Furthermore, we feel there is a need to strengthen the field while maintaining professional freedom and ethical responsibility. In the formulation of codes of professional and ethical conduct it is important due to the novelty of this field of study, that the profession should be aware of the differences between sport psychology from those who practice a more traditional form of psychology (Brown & Cogan, 2006;Stapleton et al, 2010). Our ethical guidelines therefore more accurately need to represent sport psychologists practicing in nontraditional settings and the particular demands of these settings that accompany the delivery of services (Moore, 2003).…”

“…The core of applied sport psychology should therefore include a consideration of the fundamental ethics in professional practice. Hence, it is often regarded as crucial to what shall be counted as acceptable conduct and to ensuring control over standards, that any profession worthy of the name ought to be governed by a code of professional ethics, which clearly identifies professional obligations and responsibilities by reference to the rights of clients (Brown & Cogan, 2006;Carr, 1999;Stapleton, Hankes, Hays, & Parham, 2010). Of course, this issue of professional ethics is complex and multifaceted.…”

“…Although these programmes have undergone review over recent years in attempts to meet the demands associated with the professionalization of the field, it has still been recently stated "one of the main overarching messages to emerge is that current training and development documentation are inadequate in terms of preparing trainees in all the necessary competencies for applied sport psychology" (Fletcher & Maher, 2013, p. 275). The ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct of the APA (2002) clearly indicates the expectation that sport psychologists will only practice within their scope of competence, based on their education, training, supervised experience, consultation, or professional experience (Stapleton et al, 2010). Practitioners working within applied sport psychology are therefore required to practice within the boundaries of their competence, governed by "Applied Sport Psychology: Are We a Profession?"…”

“…If at the elite level of sport everything is performance focused, then the sport psychologist must be prepared to work with the entire athlete and that requires competence in all aspects that applied sport psychology entails. In short, authors have agreed that when concerned about the ethicality when working in the athletic arena, the profession should be aware of the differences between sport psychology and traditional psychology, and always be willing to consult with a fellow practitioner (Brown & Cogan, 2006;Stapleton et al, 2010).…”

The professional quality of life of sport psychologists: Development of a novel conceptualization and measure.

“…That is, the SPPs described numerous challenges they faced while fostering and sustaining their professional practice and lives. For example, some of the challenges SPPs faced included the provision of client-centered support, which often unfolded in non-traditional settings, poor working conditions, and ambiguous professional roles (Andersen, Van Raalte, & Brewer, 2001;Etzel & Watson, 2006;Stapleton, Hankes, Hays, & Parham, 2010;Waumsley, Hemmings, & Payne, 2010).…”