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AASP Newsletter - July 2019

Statler Highlights Recent Strategic Advancements

Traci Statler

Traci Statler, PhD, CMPC, CSCS, California State University, Fullerton

It has been a very busy couple of months for AASP since my last President’s Report in January. In the time between annual conferences, every AASP committee works diligently towards achieving the initiatives of our current strategic plan. This report will include highlights of some of those initiatives.

Overall, the health of our organization is solid with our second highest number of members in association history (2,479) from 55 countries at the close of 2018. In light of new strategic partnerships with internationally affiliated organizations and the collaborative efforts of our Membership Services Division Head, Dr. Lani Lawrence, with a number of committees and SIGs within the organization, it is conceivable that AASP will break the 3000-member threshold in the near future!

One of the biggest motivations for initiating and maintaining membership in our organization has always been our Annual Conference. After a rigorous abstract submission process at the start of the year, The AASP Conference Programming Committee met in April to finalize preparations for the 2019 Annual Conference in Portland, which will be memorable. Keynotes for the conference include:

  • Michael Gervais, Seattle Seahawks
  • Karch Kiraly, USA Volleyball Women's National Team Head Coach (Performance Excellence Award recipient)
  • Angela Hucles, Past President, Women's Sport Foundation
  • Colleen Hacker & Reagan Carey, USA Ice Hockey
  • Rich Gordin, Utah State University (Coleman Griffith Lecture)
  • George Mumford, author of “The Mindful Athlete” & Tobias Lundgren, Centre for Psychotherapy Education and Research at the Karolinska Institute

Additionally, 477 abstracts were submitted and reviewed by 241 professional and student member volunteers (for which both the Conference Programming Committee and I share a truly heartfelt ‘Thank you!’) Four continuing education workshops for CMPC® CEUs will also be offered at the 2019 conference, as well as additional during-conference sessions for required CMPC® knowledge (K) areas, including Professional Standards and Ethics, Diversity and Culture, and Mentorship/Supervision. The Conference Programming Committee has also worked on offering some new innovative sessions such as an annual “Burt Giges Workshop,” a Science Slam, and a "How-To" session on conducting imagery sessions. All in all, this Portland conference definitely looks to be a “you won’t want to miss this one” event!

On the Certification and Professional Standards front, the Certification Council has also been incredibly active, with 38 new Certified Mental Performance Consultants® earning their certification, and 71% of those applying for recertification achieving renewal by the April deadline. Additionally, thanks to the herculean efforts of Council Chair, Dr. Robin Vealey, AASP is poised to submit our application for NCCA accreditation of the CMPC® program in August. For those preparing to apply for CMPC®, a new Exam Study Resources page has been added to the website, and editorial work continues on the development of an exam preparation textbook, with a target release date of Spring 2020. 

Regarding the crystallization of our certification’s branding and identity - both internally amongst our membership as well as externally to our constituencies and stakeholders - AASP recently hired a consulting firm, Seacrest Consulting, to assist in the development of a message portfolio to promote the Certified Mental Performance Consultant® (CMPC) certification program.  The purpose of this portfolio will be to develop a set of key messages, based on the environment in which AASP operates, that can be used in all communication channels or mediums. These messages can be used in a variety of ways including email, press releases, direct mail, social media, websites, etc. The portfolio helps AASP create a storyline on the value of its program to different target audiences.

If you attended the Business Meeting at the 2018 Conference in Toronto, you already know that the membership unanimously supported the addition of a new Diversity & Inclusion Division Head position on the E-Board. This new position, initially filled by Presidential appointment for 2018-2019, will be officially ratified by membership vote at our next conference in Portland. Upon approval at the 2019 Business Meeting, the Diversity & Inclusion Division Head will be provided full voting status as an Executive Board member as defined in AASP's Constitution. In the meantime, Dr. Leeja Carter, Interim Diversity & Inclusion Division Head, has been hard at work getting the division effectively positioned within the organization and has begun efforts on several key initiatives included in the strategic plan – one of which was the creation of a Diversity & Inclusion Council. This group, including members of both the AASP Executive Board and affiliated AASP committees, as well as external thought leaders in sport and health, will serve as an advisory committee to the Executive Board and the whole organization on matters of diversity, inclusion, and social justice. The following individuals accepted AASP’s invitation and have agreed to serve on the inaugural Council:

• John Amaechi, PhD – Psychologist, Founder & CEO of Amaechi Performance Systems
Sebastian Brueckner, PhD, CMPC – Chair, AASP International Relations Committee, Research Associate, Sport Psychology, University of Muenster
• Leeja Carter, PhD – AASP Interim Diversity & Inclusion Division Head, Assistant Professor, Health Science Program, Long Island University - Brooklyn
• Alex Cohen, PhD, CMPC – Senior Sport Psychologist, United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee
• Angie Fifer, PhD, CMPC – AASP Scientific Program Division Head & Conference Planning Committee Chair, Breakthrough Performance Consulting, Private Practice
• Carole Oglesby, PhD, PhD, CMPC Emeritus – Pioneer in Women’s Sport, Professor Emeritus, Temple University
• Rob Owens, EdD, CSCS – AASP Diversity Committee Chair, Adjunct Professor, Sport and Performance Psychology, University of Western States
• William Parham, PhD, ABPP – Professor, Counseling Program, Interim Associate Dean of Faculty, Loyola Marymount University, Director of Mental Health and Wellness Program, National Basketball Players Association (NBPA)
• Traci Statler, PhD, CSCS, CMPC – AASP President, Associate Director of Graduate Programs, California State University, Fullerton
• Margaret Stran, PhD – Associate Director and Co-Founder, University of Alabama Adapted Athletics
• Taunya Tinsley, D.Min, PhD, NCC, LPC – Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD) President, Transitions Counseling Services LLC, Owner

Things have been busy regarding our Publications & Communications efforts since the start of the new year as well!  So far in 2019, two special issues have been published; one in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology (JASP) - “Organizational Psychology in Sport,” and the other in the Journal of Sport Psychology in Action (JSPA) – “Using Technology in Applied Sport Psychology.” Forthcoming special issues will focus on the (1) “Psychology of Sports Coaching” and (2) “Mental Health in Sport” (JASP); (3) “The Application of Mindfulness and Acceptance Approaches to Performers” and (4) “New Approaches to Identity in Sport” (JSPA), and finally, (5) “Athlete Mental Health” (Case Studies in Sport and Exercise Psychology). Additionally, efforts are underway to create a new student-focused journal, which aims to provide AASP and the larger community with a unique and inspiring platform to engage and disseminate rigorous scholarship. This new peer-reviewed journal will provide students and early-career professionals with innovative opportunities to participate as authors, reviewers, and editorial board members within a mentored publishing infrastructure. It is anticipated that submissions will be accepted by the spring of 2020!

Lastly, regarding the initiatives found within our Research & Practice division, AASP recently hosted its 5th Virtual Conference. This offering, focused on sharing “Best Practices in Starting, Developing and Sustaining a Private Practice” was well received with more than 80 AASP members logging in to the 3-hour session. Additional virtual conferences and web-based seminars are in the planning stages for the rest of 2019!

As you can see, a lot of work goes on “behind the scenes” at AASP throughout the year – and this is just a quick snapshot of some of the initiatives and efforts currently underway. If you have not already done so, check out the 2019-2022 AASP Strategic Plan to see what other programs, projects and plans are in the works for the rest of 2019 and beyond. And as always, if you have any questions about any of the projects, initiatives, proposals or efforts described in this report, please feel free to reach out to any member of the Executive Board. We welcome your feedback!

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