Courses and Descriptions
COAT 520 Sport Counseling and Psychological Skills Training 3 Credits
The practice of sport counseling uses psychological skills training (PST). This method is grounded in mental health training principles, such as cognitive behavioral approaches, mindfulness techniques, and goal setting used by elite athletes, business professionals, and special operations personnel to achieve and maintain the highest levels of resilience, readiness, and performance. Classic PST techniques that define the canon of mental toughness will be presented with history, theory, and extensive embedded self-exercises. This course will include self-awareness training, goal setting, imagery and visualization, attentional and concentration techniques, arousal and intensity regulation, as well as stress management. A complete mindfulness sports performance enhancement (MSPE) protocol using the latest research from the sport sciences, counseling, psychology, and neuroscience will be presented including guidance for building mindfulness skills essential to consistent, optimal performance.
COAT 521 Clinical Sport Counseling 3 Credits
This course will introduce a variety of topics in the field of Clinical Sport Counseling, bridging the gap between clinical counseling and sport, exercise, and performance counseling through an examination of research and applied practice. This course provides practitioners from a variety of disciplines (e.g., coaching, athletic administration, sport counseling, etc.) with greater understanding of the varying dimensions of clinical phenomena and how nonclinical, subclinical, and clinical issues impact performance and the overall well-being of athletes and performers at a variety of developmental and competition levels. The content of this course is designed to provide an introduction to the field of Clinical Sport Counseling so that students can use the information provided to be more effective in supporting the well-being of athletes in future professional endeavors.
COAT 522 Assessment in Sport Counseling 3 Credits
Assessment in Sport Counseling integrates and synthesizes the theoretical concepts of sport and performance counseling into meaningful application. Emphasis is placed on creating and then assessing performance-enhancement programs for clients through the exploration and application of theory, research, and intervention strategies to assist clients pursuing excellence. The construct of excellence is thoroughly explored, including common roadblocks and the type of contexts in which the skills and knowledge are used in the field of clinical mental health counseling, sport and performance, intrapersonal relationships, and career.