Sports Counseling Preparation at CACREP Institutions: An initial Analysis

Interest in the field of sports counseling is growing in both mental health and athletics communities. Specialized sports counseling preparation has been emphasized in order to work efficiently with athletes. However; it is not clear whether counseling programs have the curriculum, faculty, or departmental support for those interested in becoming sports counselors. This survey of 63 counseling programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and other Related Educational Programs (CACREP) examined the availability of training opportunities for counseling students interested in specialization in sports counseling and the attitudes of the counseling faculty toward sports counseling. Findings reveal a lack of training opportunities in sports counseling at CACREP accredited institutions and only moderate interest by faculty in establishing such programs

College Student-Athletes in Career Development: A Comparison of Career Decision-Making, Role Salience, and Values

Student athletes are faced with a variety of struggles not encountered by their non-athlete peers. Chief among these struggles are the development of a personal identity, socialization, and self worth that is separate and distinct from their athletic lives. Decisions regarding career choices arerelated to developmental success in identity formation and self-efficacy. Student-athletes at NCAA Division I schools have been found to be significantly different from non-athletes in their readiness to make career decisions.This investigation explored whether similar deficiencies existed with student-athletes at a small private NCAA Division II university. This study compared career decision-making, role salience, and values of student-athletes (n=53) and non-athletes (n=51). A demographic form and three instruments were used to collect the data. The Salience Inventory (SI), the Values Scale (VS), and the Career Development Inventory (CDI) were used. The data indicated that athletes and non-athletes at a Division II university tend to be similar in the areas ofcareer decision-making, planning, and role salience. Athletes did project higher life style and prestige scores. Higher life style scores indicate that athletes tended to value the opportunity to plan one's own activities and to live the way one wants to. Many athletes feel most of their time is controlled by others (e.g., coaches, practice, classes), as a result, time for leisure is a premium. Elevated prestige scores indicate that athletes value being acknowledged for their skills more than non-athletes. The prestige score may highlight a desire by athletes to not only be acknowledged for their athletic ability but appreciated for their contribution, role, and sacrifice to the team. The authors recommend athletes create a portfolio for career development

The Student-Athlete Life/Career Portfolio: A Multifaceted Approach to Life and Career Development

The student-athlete life/career portfolio is a process that developed reflective practice and allowed for an in-depth portrayal of the experiences of each person as an individual and an athlete. The contents of the life/career portfolio provided a unique document that is far more illustrative of an individual's abilities and achievement sthan the traditional resume

Developing Career Development Profiles of Student-Athletes: A Comparison with Non-Athletes

Student-athletes' and non-athletes' scores on several career-related assessments were compared. During the 1990-91 academic year at a medium-sized, state-supported university in the South, a sample of 41 student-athletes (83% males and 17% females) and 178 non-athletes (29% males and 71% females) completed the Values Scale (Super & Nevill, 1985b), Career Development Inventory (Super, Thompson, Lindeman, Jordaan, & Myers, 1981), and Salience Inventory (Super & Nevill, 1985a). Completion of these instruments was required for a semester-long, three-credit course in career/life planning. The student-athletes were non-revenue scholarship athletes representing a NCAA Division II institution in soccer, basketball, and tennis. Both groups contained students representing all class ranks, with a majority in both groups being white (93% of the student-athlete group and 69% of the non-athlete group. Results of two-way ANOVAs indicated that student-athletes highly value physical activity and spend more time in leisure activities than non-athletes. Only one significant gender effect was found: females had a higher score on the combined knowledge scale (M = 100.29) than males (M = 85.16) (F(1, 138) = 8.43, p < .006). The combined knowledge scale score is a linear combination of scores in decision-making and world-of-work information. This result indicates that females may be better able to apply career development principles to decision-making scenarios as well as demonstrate more knowledge of what it takes to get a job and succeed. No differences in career maturity scores were found. Implications for programming to accommodate the special needs of student-athletes are discussed