AASP Newsletter - August 2016

Brent Walker, PhD, Columbia University

As you enjoy your summer, I hope you will take a moment to register for this year’s outstanding Annual Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. Bring your swimsuit and outdoor gear to enjoy the water slides, pools, and outdoor hiking opportunities. You will be joining what will likely be our third-straight conference with over 1,000 attendees. Following are association highlights currently taking place.

Certification
The Job Task Analysis (JTA) has concluded, and the list of competencies necessary for the practice of sport psychology have been finalized. Following completion of the JTA, the Interim Certification Committee (ICC) was selected. The ICC will: (1) create policies and procedures for certification, (2) develop policies and procedures for selecting a permanent certification council, and (3) develop a certification exam. We had over 40 members volunteer to write exam questions, and that process is almost completed. A special thanks to all of the members who volunteered to develop questions for the certification exam and to serve on the ICC. I would also like to thank Leeja Carter and the Diversity Committee for their role in recruiting and approving members of the ICC. Be sure to attend the Business and Fellows meetings at the conference to receive additional updates on the certification process.

Members of the Interim Certification Committee (ICC) include:

• Jack Watson, West Virginia University (chair)
• Sarah Castillo, National University
• Stephany Coakley, CSF2/Maximum Mental Training Associates
• Leslee Fisher, University of Tennessee
• Kensa Gunter, Gunter Psychological Services, LLC
• Bob Harmison, James Madison University
• Taryn Morgan, IMG Academy

Conference Planning Committee
In response to the continued growth we have experienced in conference abstract submissions and attendance, the Conference Planning Committee will be growing as well. Two members of the organization will be selected to serve two- and three-year staggered terms to support the conference planning process starting with the 2017 Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida. The Conference Planning Committee organizes the reviewed submission abstract process, programs the Annual Conference, and works in conjunction with the Past President to recruit high quality invited speakers.

Google Ad Words
In an attempt to extend the reach of AASP to consumers outside of the organization, we developed our first Google Ad Words campaigns in May of 2016, after we secured $10,000 of Google advertising on a monthly basis in perpetuity, at no cost to AASP. In approximately 6 weeks, people looking for sport psychology professionals have clicked on our Consultant Finder advertisement over 350 times, and the advertisement has appeared over 26,000 times. Our Concussion Resource Center advertisement has drawn another 139 clicks and over 12,800 appearances. Finally, our conference advertisement has just been activated.

Our next goal will be to make each advertisement the number one search option when someone completes a Google search for sport psychology-related terms. We are creating a year-long schedule of AASP advertisements that will focus on events and items such as our virtual conference, webinars, and Graduate Program Directory. Google Ad Words provides us another opportunity to grow the brand of AASP while simultaneously increasing the relevance of the field of sport psychology. 

Member Services Division Head
Lani Lawrence, USC, has started in her role as the Member Services Division Head (MSDH). As a reminder, the MSDH is in charge of analyzing member needs across AASP membership types as well as identifying and implementing recruitment and retention strategies for potential and current members. Lani is working with the Diversity Committee to revamp the membership database questionnaire disseminated during the annual membership renewal process. She will also be exploring potential membership satisfaction surveys in the coming months. If you have any feedback or ideas for Lani regarding your AASP membership, please feel free to email her at nmlawren@usc.edu.

Thank you
As their service on the AASP Executive Board comes to an end at this year’s conference, I’d like to thank Sarah Carson Sackett (Publications/Information Division Head), Dolores Christensen (Student Representative), Alex Cohen (Professional Standards Division Head), and Rob Schinke (Past President) for their tireless work as AASP Executive Board members. The association is in a wonderful place thanks to their respective contributions and dedication to the organization. I also look forward to serving the organization with the newly elected members.