To Graduation, Certification, and Beyond: The Importance of Post-Training Peer Support and Reflective Practice in Sport

Mentoring support does not have to cease upon graduation or when certification has been achieved. Ongoing peer support is a critical element in successful consulting. In other areas of psychology (and in other fields entirely), ongoing peer consultation is encouraged or even required. Waumsley, Hemmings and Payne (2010) have gone so far as to suggest that ongoing peer consultation should be included in re-accreditation criteria for sport psychology professionals in the UK. This presentation will discuss the importance of post-graduation/post-certification peer consultations in sport psychology and will give an example of a successful peer consultation group. The presentation will cover how this group started, practical considerations about where they meet, how often, what is discussed, what is not discussed, group rules, and how the group incorporates reflective practice. Knowles, Gilbourne, Tomlinson, and Anderson (2007) have suggested how reflective practice can facilitate the supervisory process with trainees. Indeed reflective practice has become an essential ingredient in accreditation requirements for BASES (British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences) and may be something that other sport psychology accrediting or certifying bodies may consider. Reflective practice has become an important aspect for the work produced at John F. Kennedy University. JFKU encourages its use with students for research work and interns for applied graduate work. It also encourages the use of reflective practice and the incorporation of formalized peer support post-graduation and after any certification has been achieved, for example AASP (Association for Applied Sport Psychology) certification.