AASP Newsletter - July 2018

President's Message: AASP Progress, Prospects and Strategic Planning

Amy Baltzell, EdD, CMPC, Boston University

There has been a flurry of activity throughout AASP over the past six months. I am grateful to be able to share updates that are a product of many of our AASP members’ time, expertise and commitment to our field.

Certification

AASP received trademark approval from the US government for Certified Mental Performance Consultant^®andCMPC^®– March 2018
Our new CMPC Exam became available at 5,000 PearsonVue testing centers across the US – April 2018
CMPC Marketing Task Force was created – April 2018
New CMPClogo was completed, and a Mark and Usage Guide was circulated – June 2018
Online Diversity and Culture Course launched – July 2018
Three Exam Prep Webinars will be offered – early Fall 2018

We have created a CMPC Marketing/PR Task Force that is charged with working with the Certification Council to develop resources aimed at producing a coherent and structured approach to marketing the new credential. A primary responsibility of the Task Force will be to define and implement a plan for educating the public and various constituencies (i.e. NCAA, pro sport leagues, coaching associations, NGBs) about the benefits of hiring a CMPC.

Our PR firm, The Rosen Group, has already begun work on developing a "tool box" to help the Task Force in offering an easy-to-grasp explanation of what a CMPC is and does. They have also been leveraging media opportunities to share the new professional designation. The CMPC Marketing Task Force members include:

Lindsey Blom, Ball State University
Hillary Cauthen, Texas Optimal Performance & Psychological Services
Scott Goldman, Miami Dolphins
Charles Maher, Cleveland Indians (Certification Council)
Jon Metzler, AFSC / Magellan Federal
Angus Mugford, Toronto Blue Jays
Francis Neric, ACSM National Director of Certification
Jerry Reeder, Human Kinetics (Certification Council)
Traci Statler, Cal State Fullerton / USA Volleyball
Shaunna Taylor, Univ. of British Columbia
Brent Walker, Columbia University

Job Creation / Development

AASP continues to work on the “Interactive Job Description Decision-Making Tree”. This model provides an outcomes-based resource for key stakeholders at the professional/elite and NCAA institutional ranks (specifically GMs, ADs, and coaches) to help guide their implementation of a sport psychology model. This concept map acknowledges different models of “successful and sustainable” service. I’m also pleased to announce that, increasingly over the past six months, employers have been posting their latest job opportunities in the AASP Career Center.

Education & Professional Development

AASP’s fourth Virtual Conference was held in mid-May with 125 professionals attending the session on “Consulting for Non-Sport Populations”. We are excited about our upcoming 2018 Annual Conference in Toronto, a joint meeting with the Canadian Sport Psychology Association (CSPA).

Keynotes for the 2018 Annual Conference in Toronto:

Eric Lindros, former NHL All-Star and 2016 Hall of Fame Inductee, Performance Excellence Award recipient
John Amaechi, University of East London psychologist and NY Times best-selling author
Mark Shapiro, Toronto Blue Jays President/CEO
Penny Werthner, University of Calgary, Coleman Griffith Lecture
Winter Olympics Panel

We would like to thank University of Western States for their sponsorship of AASP 2018 as well as Ash Patel and Toronto-based Humber College, who will be lending us their lightboard technology to help produce valuable educational content for members.

Publications & Communications

We hope you like the website refresh that was just recently unveiled. The goal was to provide easier access to information and resources that members want and need as well as to better build our brand identity among athletes, coaches and parents that utilize our services.

Thanks to Michael Sachs, Kevin Burke and AASP staff for all of their efforts in producing the 12^th Edition of the Directory of Graduate Programs in Applied Sport Psychology, which was published in March. This resource continues to be extremely valuable for prospective students looking for their best fitting programs and training opportunities in sport psychology.

Special thanks to Sarah Carson Sackett and Kristen Dieffenbach for serving as co-editors for our Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) Essentials Resource Guide, to be available to exam candidates in October 2019. The resource, developed in partnership with Human Kinetics and aimed at preparing candidates to sit for the CMPC exam, will be an interactive web text, complete with content, video, check-in exercises, quizzes and a practice exam. The study guide will be organized based on Knowledge Groups established in the revised Job Task Analysis.

Research & Practice

Sarah Castillo is chairing a Graduate Program Committee specifically reconstituted to develop guidelines for graduate program recognition over the next year. This is an important objective in our current Strategic Plan. Thanks to Nick Galli and the Research Development Committee for launching the Research ListServ.

New Student-Focused Journal

I’m pleased to announce that AASP will be transitioning the Performance Excellence Magazine (PEM) from a student-led newsletter to a formal peer-reviewed, student-focused journal. Special thanks to Joanna Foss, Courtney Hess and Stacy Gnacinski for their efforts in putting together the project and to the AASP Foundation for funding the project for the initial three years.

New Strategic Plan & Member Survey

Finally, AASP will be constructing a new four-year Strategic Plan (2019-2022) at our conference in Toronto this Fall. Please keep an eye out for a Member Needs Assessment that will be circulated organization-wide this summer. As far as surveys go, this one is extremely important as we want and need your valuable input. Please use this opportunity to tell us what direction you would like to see AASP go in the coming years.

The July 2018 issue of the AASP Newsletter includes the following articles:

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Published: July 1, 2018 Permalink for this article

AASP Newsletter - July 2018

President's Message: AASP Progress, Prospects and Strategic Planning

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July 2018