July 2017 Update
July 24, 2017
The Interim Certification Council (ICC) and AASP Executive Board (E-Board) would like to inform members of another important upgrade to our certification program - this one in the area of professional titling. When the new program is officially launched on October 1, 2017, the title used by all those who are certified by AASP will be changed to "Certified Mental Performance Consultant" or "CMPC". The current title "Certified Consultant - Association for Applied Sport Psychology" or "CC-AASP" will no longer be used or recognized. While a significant change, both the ICC and AASP E-Board believe that it is a necessary step to help the Certification Council and the organization as a whole market the certification program. Below, please find a brief overview of the process and rationale for the new title.
At the AASP Spring E-Board Meeting in April, the E-Board conducted a lengthy discussion about the lack of clear professional titling in the field, including how to best market our certification so that consumers would better understand what certified practitioners do. The Mental Performance Consultant (MPC) title has been used by the Canadian Sport Psychology Association (CSPA) since 2008, and has been well-received in the sporting community at all levels in that country. The E-Board unanimously approved a motion recommending that the ICC consider changing the certification program title to "Mental Performance Consultant".
Following were the perceived benefits and rationale for utilizing the "Mental Performance Consultant" title:
The term "Mental" captures the essence of what practitioners in the field of sport psychology do without infringing upon legally protected "psychology" terms (e.g., psychology, psychological, psychologist).
The term "Performance" captures the necessity of addressing performance when working in the field of sport psychology.
The term "Consultant" captures the nature of the relationship and collaborative work between practitioners and clients in this field. Further, the term "consultant" does not encroach on the role of other members of integrated support teams/staff in sport including head and assistant coaches, strength trainers, etc.
The ICC carefully discussed the pros and cons of a title change via phone conference calls and email for several weeks. In the long run, it was the belief of the ICC members that it would make it easier for potential consumers of these services to understand the role of Mental Performance Consultants, which would help the Certification Council and organization market the certification and those certified more effectively. The ICC decided to retain the word "Certified" in the title, so the approved version was "Certified Mental Performance Consultant" or "CMPC". AASP has since filed trademark applications for both the new title and acronym.
What Does It Mean If I'm Currently Certified?
All active certified consultants (CC-AASPs) should begin preparing to utilize "Certified Mental Performance Consultant" or "CMPC" when listing your designation in professional and promotional materials, such as your website and social media, business cards, email signatures, brochures and letterhead. This will officially transition when the new certification program is launched on October 1, 2017.
As always, members of the ICC are available to answer your questions and respond to your concerns. Please feel free to reach out to any of the members below at the contact information provided.
Sarah Castillo (scastillo@nu.edu)
Stephany Coakley (stephccoakley@gmail.com)
Jack Watson (jack.watson@mail.wvu.edu)
Sincerely,
Interim Certification Council
