The conversation around mental health and performance in sport has grown immensely over the past decade. Athletes today are increasingly open about the psychological aspects of performance — from managing pressure and motivation to navigating burnout and transitions. As this awareness grows, so does the demand for qualified sport psychology professionals.
However, in India, one crucial challenge persists: we do not yet have a clear, regulated pathway or licensing structure for sport psychologists.
This lack of formal structure has created a grey area in the field, where anyone can adopt the title of “sport psychologist,” often without the necessary training, supervised experience, or ethical grounding. While many individuals enter the field with genuine passion, this unregulated practice poses risks — both to the credibility of the profession and to the welfare of the athletes we serve.
Sport psychology sits at the crossroads of performance and mental health. Practitioners often work with athletes who are under immense pressure — physically, mentally, and emotionally. Ethical practice ensures that we, as professionals, uphold the highest standards of competence, confidentiality, and care.
Ethics in this field isn’t just about following rules; it’s about respecting the human behind the athlete. Every conversation, intervention, or performance plan must be guided by empathy, professional boundaries, and evidence-based practice. When unqualified or unsupervised individuals enter this space, the risks include misdiagnosis, poor guidance, or psychological harm — outcomes that can have lasting effects on both performance and well-being.
Unlike countries such as the UK, Australia, or the US, India currently lacks a governing body that regulates who can call themselves a sports psychologist or outlines the competencies required for safe practice. In the UK, for example, practitioners follow pathways through organisations like the British Psychological Society (BPS) or the Chartered Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (CASES), leading to registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
These frameworks ensure that practitioners go through supervised practice, ethical training, and reflective development before working independently. They also provide clarity on professional titles — distinguishing between trainees, consultants, and chartered psychologists.
In India, the absence of such a structure means well-intentioned professionals often face uncertainty:
- What qualifications are recognised?
- How do we gain supervised experience?
- What title accurately represents our stage of training?
Without answers to these questions, many individuals and organisations inadvertently blur ethical lines, often without realising the implications.
Taking the Ethical Route — Even When It’s the Longer One
If someone were to ask me to work with elite athletes right after completing my master’s degree, my honest answer would be — I’m not ready yet.
Not because I lack passion or capability, but because I understand the responsibility that comes with the role. Working with high-performing athletes requires not only theoretical knowledge but also practical experience, reflective supervision, and ethical maturity.
That’s why I value pathways like CASES (Chartered Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences). Their supervised accreditation process offers a clear developmental structure, allowing practitioners to build competence under guidance, reflect on their work, and develop into well-rounded, ethical professionals.
Yes, it’s a longer route — but it’s also the route that builds credibility, confidence, and integrity.
India has immense sporting talent — and an equally growing pool of aspiring sport psychologists, counsellors, and mental performance consultants. What we need now is a national framework that brings structure and accountability to this field.
This framework should:
- Define professional titles based on qualifications and experience (e.g., trainee, consultant, psychologist).
- Mandate supervised practice before independent work.
- Establish accreditation bodies with ethical codes and continued professional development requirements.
- Promote collaboration between psychologists, coaches, and medical teams to ensure holistic athlete care.
By doing so, we not only safeguard the mental health of athletes but also elevate the reputation and credibility of sport psychology as a profession in India.
Ethical practice is not a barrier — it is the foundation of trust, professionalism, and respect in sport. As a developing practitioner, I believe it is our collective responsibility to advocate for transparency, accountability, and structure within the field.
Taking the ethical, structured route may not offer instant recognition — but it ensures that when we do step into the arena, we do so with competence, confidence, and conscience.
Because ultimately, the goal of sport psychology is not just to enhance performance — it’s to protect, empower, and uplift the human behind the athlete.
