AASP Newsletter - November 2017

Takahiro Sato, PhD, Western New Mexico University

As a member of AASP’s International Relations Committee, I would like to share how AASP has contributed to its members’ mobility across countries. I interviewed four current AASP members, Drs. Kaori Araki, Tsutomu Fuse (Tom), Moe Machida-Kosuga, and Airi Naoi. All of them finished their education in sport and exercise psychology in the United States and have played a significant role in the field in their home country, Japan. Kaori and Tom received their doctorates at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Moe and Airi earned their doctorates at Michigan State University and West Virginia University, respectively. All four scholars have embodied AASP’s mission by teaching, conducting research, and consulting in Japan: Moe and Airi have been faculty members at Osaka University of Sport and Health Sciences and Kindai University, respectively; Tom has his own consulting company but has still been involved in teaching and research at his alma mater, Keio University; Kaori has taught sport psychology and women’s studies at Sonoda Women’s University while running her own consulting business. All of them have worked with a wide variety of populations (e.g., athletes, performing artists, business people) from youth to professional levels as a performance consultant. It is worth noting, as a highlight of their accomplishments, that Kaori has been in the limelight as a team consultant contributing to the Japanese men’s rugby team’s historic victory over South Africa at the 2015 Rugby World Cup and helped bring national attention to the field of sport psychology in Japan.

While these scholars have established exceptional reputations as active sport psychology professionals in Japan, they took a moment, when being interviewed for this article, to look back at pivotal moments in their academic training in the US. Growing up with sports in the small islands, the educational environments to study sport psychology and the opportunities to improve their English skills were very attractive incentives to pursue their degrees in the US. As accomplished college athletes in Japan, Kaori, Tom, and Airi desired to develop their understanding of applied sport psychology in the US., whereas Moe, a former high school athlete, wanted to explore her future career in “a big sport country.”

Since their initial steps in pursuing their goals to become sport psychology professionals, all of these scholars agreed that AASP has contributed significantly to paving the way for developing their knowledge and skills. In particular, they acknowledged that AASP conferences had been very inspiring for them as students, stirring their intellectual curiosity. Kaori and Tom were always thrilled to quench their thirst for knowledge through attending presentations and having stimulating conversations with other scholars from various countries. Tom was particularly impressed by presenters’ open-mindedness to share not only their successful consulting experiences, but also their approaches that did not work very well. Airi appreciated her intense training to be a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) provided by her knowledgeable and supportive supervisors. She acknowledged that they shaped the way she conducts performance consulting for her clients today. Above all, their experiences with AASP indicate that one of the greatest assets of the organization seems to be its members. Moe and Airi recalled how warmly AASP members had celebrated their “first” experiences at the conference: Moe was “very nervous about speaking with people” at her first poster presentation, but it ended up being “so much fun, thanks to [her] coauthors and very insightful attendees.” Airi appreciated the faculty and graduate students welcoming her as a first-time attendee, kindly sharing sufficient information about graduate programs so that she was able to find the program to pursue her degree. Kaori realized that intellectual interactions with AASP members “always remind[ed] [her] to be proud of [herself] being a sport psych professional.”

As long-time members, these four scholars showed willingness to maintain their AASP membership and expand their knowledge and skills through interactions with other members. In particular, Moe has been enthusiastic about helping to advance the organization to the next level by contributing in various roles, shifting from a student representative to a member of the Research Development Committee. Finally, as a token of dedication and appreciation to AASP, all these scholars were kind enough to share their insights and experiences, which might well inform the organization’s further improvement. Their comments include requests for the organization to further strengthen such areas as various methods of effective applied work, theories and research that are closely connected with applied work, codes of ethics, and supervision methods. Furthermore, these Japanese scholars echoed the voices of our international students (Lee & Haznadar, 2017) and unanimously pointed out the importance of AASP’s internationalization. As mothers of little children, it has not been easy for Kaori and Airi to travel to the US to attend annual conferences. While Kaori appreciates AASP keeping members informed with online materials such as newsletters and webinars, Airi, as a CMPC, is hoping that AASP continuously expands online tools to earn CE credit hours to maintain her certification. Moe and Airi consider the certification a potential vehicle to promote internationalization if AASP can refine the certification program by providing more options for members outside the US, who may have disadvantages due to geographical reasons and fluency in the English language.

Takahiro Sato, Assistant Professor at Western New Mexico University, has studied and worked in the US for more than 10 years now. Yet, like the four colleagues he interviewed, he is also a native of Japan. As is the case for the interviewees, Taka’s career and personal and professional growth in the field of applied sport psychology has been shaped by AASP, especially his involvement within the organization’s International Relations Committee.

References

Lee, S., & Haznadar, A. (2017, February). International students’ experiences in sport and exercise psychology. AASP Newsletter. Retrieved from http://www.appliedsportpsych.org/members/aasp-newsletters/february-2017/international-students-experiences-in-sport-and-exercise-psychology/