Become a Certified Consultant

• February 1
• June 1
• September 1

Important processes for becoming a CC-AASP:

1. Become familiar with the AASP ethical code
2. Find a Supervisor who is willing to help you become a Certified Consultant

• A CC-AASP must supervise practicum/internship hours.
• Pre-approval is required before starting the supervision process with someone who is not an CC-AASP. Without pre-approval, these hours may not count toward certification.

3. Determine which route to certification is for you:

• Grandparenting: For candidates who received their doctoral degrees prior to December 31, 1992
• Standard: For candidates who have a Doctoral degree
• Master’s Degree: For candidates who have a Master's degree
• Recertification:  For the current CC-AASP

4. Complete and submit the appropriate application form 

Standard Application Requirements

The applicant must have:

• current AASP membership status;
• a doctoral degree, from an accredited institution of higher education, in an area clearly related to sport science or psychology; and 
• completed the required coursework.

• Pass/fail courses do not satisfy course requirements.
• Unless otherwise specified, one three-credit course normally is required for each criterion.
• Up to four upper-level undergraduate courses may be substituted for graduate courses, unless specifically designated as “graduate only.”
• A course can be used in only one category of coursework.
• On-line courses may provide flexibility in meeting certification requirements.

• 3 sport and exercise psychology courses (2 at the graduate level)
• One course from each of the following categories:
  • Professional Ethics and Standards
  • Biomechanical and/or Physiological Bases of Sport
  • Historical, Philosophical, Social, or Motor Behavior Bases
  • Psychopathology and its Assessment
  • Counseling Skills (a graduate course)
  • Research Design, Statistics, or Psychological Assessment
  • Biological Bases of Behavior
  • Cognitive-Affective Bases of Behavior
  • Individual Behavior
• Demonstrated competence within skills/techniques/analysis in sport or exercise and related experiences (e.g., coaching, clinics, participation in sport)

• 400 total hours of mentored experience in Sport & Exercise Psychology
• 100 of the total hours must be in direct contact with the clients
• 40 of the total hours must be mentorship received from an AASP approved mentor; in addition, all of the 400 total hours must be verified by this mentor 
• Only those hours actually spent in the preparation and delivery of sport and exercise psychology services are eligible for inclusion

• Consulting directly with an athletic team and/or coaching staff in an applied sport and exercise psychology setting while teaching such topics as goal-setting, cohesion, relaxation/activation skills, concentration, confidence-building, imagery, self-talk, and performance routines.
• Serving as a consultant to a youth sports organization and teaching parents, athletes, and/or coaches about healthy competition patterns and moral reasoning.
• Serving as a consultant to a cardiac rehabilitation program while teaching participants ways to increase exercise adherence patterns, controlling stress, coping skills and life management skills
• Working with an athlete on performance-relevant issues (i.e., performance anxiety).
• While serving as an academic counselor, providing formal work (e.g., stress management, problem-solving, goal setting, time management, etc.) with athletes on performance enhancement training.
• Working as an intern in a corporation by providing exercise intervention programs to improve the psychological well-being of employees. 

 Ineligible Mentored Experiences:

• Serving as an athletic coach for a team.
• Working in an alcohol rehabilitation center that happens to have athletes as clients.
• Providing marital and family counseling to an athlete and her family.
• Contracting with professional sports teams to do a psychometric work-up of players and making a DSM-IV diagnosis.
• Being part of a general counseling practice or as a member of a consultation team treating an athlete for an eating disorder.
• Using running as part of clinical therapy while completing as internship in psychology.
• While serving as an academic counselor, providing only academic support services to athletes.
• As an intern hired by a corporation you use sport and exercise psychology performance enhancement interventions to improve the mental health of their employees or improve their work productivity or effectiveness.
• While serving as an athletic trainer, providing only physical rehabilitation services to athletes.

(Note: If in doubt, contact the Certification Committee Chair.)

1. Achieve Provisional Status by completing the required coursework and mentored experiences as outlined under the Standard Application requirements above
2. Complete 300 additional hours of mentored experiences

Requirements for “Provisional Status”