ISSP Multi-societal Sport Psychology Think Tank on Athlete Mental Health
Local Organizing Committee: United States Olympic Committee
October 15-16 this year, the United States Olympic Committee will host the ISSP Multi-societal international Think Tank on Athlete Mental Health at its Colorado Springs Training Center. This Think Tank was launched on the initiative of the International Society of Sport Psychology (ISSP) with engagement from the world’s major sport psychology societies, presently including AASP, FEPSAC and ASPASP.
Leading researchers and practitioners representing international sport psychology organizations from around the world will discuss the implementation of best practices on mental health for Olympic athletes.
The multi-societal Think Tank event is planned to be an annual event, allowing the discussion to continue in an international forum. The inaugural Think Tank on athlete mental health was hosted by Team Denmark and the University of Southern Denmark in 2018, and resulted in the production of a consensus statement on improving the mental health of Olympic athletes: https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2019.1570473
In the statement, the experts outlined several key future challenges such as defining mental health in a performance context, developing performance environments that nourish athlete mental health, and mapping the role and profile of a mental health officer in sport. These topics will be further developed in the second Think Tank.
In 2020 the Saint Judas University will host the third Think Tank. Focus will be on the mental health of high performance coaches. The ongoing change in location will stimulate cultural sensitivity in relation to this topic and ensure that cross-national concerns and solutions are discussed for the betterment of elite athlete mental health, globally.
MEMBERSHIP
The ISSP is the only worldwide organization of scholars explicitly concerned with sport psychology. Members of the Society include researchers, psychologists, educators, coaches, and administrators, as well as students and athletes interested in sport psychology.
Membership has many benefits, including an annual subscription to the IJSEP, access to ISSP’s awards and fellows, and a reduced fee for attending ISSP conferences.
WORLD CONGRESS
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President’s Message May 2020
Dear ISSP Membership, you might have found that there has been a recent flurry of activity within this organization. We are quite enthused by the developments that have ensued since the beginning of 2020, despite clear challenges that have been posed with COVID-19. Within this news update, I am happy to share a few of the highlights that have ensued of late.
The last eight years, meaning this term, also tracing back to that of my predecessor, Dr. Gangyan Si, have become a roadmap for the ISSP into the future. Eight years ago, we began with the 2013-2017 Managing Council working on an ISSP Strategic Plan. The Plan was, in a sense, our contract within the Managing Council to enrich the society and its membership through offerings that you, our supporters, could find valuable. Should you examine the strategic plan that was first envisioned, and more recently enacted, you can find that we are nearly in complete execution of our initiatives - though these are projects that are continuing to develop.
The initiatives I highlight include the growing list of ISSP Fellows, such as those recently named, from within our Managing Council and also composed of long standing contributors. The ISSP Ambassador Program is healthy, evidenced through active Ambassadorial visits to Ghana and Uruguay. The coming years will grow the Fellows listing as well as the countries we will support in their capacity through our Ambassadors.
The International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology is growing in leaps and bounds. I recall the early existence of the IJSEP, where there were initially 40-50 submissions per year. This year, we are trending to more than 300 submissions from around the world. The growing interest in our journal, as well as the growing number of emerging and established scholars who submit to the journal has expanded to six installments per year, with the 2021 year permitting a further page increase of 10%. The journal also continues to trend positively in its evaluative criteria in relation to our field and beyond to psychology.
Our website has also continued to develop. There are now membership benefits that include YouTube videos from leading experts. You will now find many of the keynote speeches from the 2017 ISSP Congress, available to you. The library of available speeches and keynotes will expand rapidly now and vary from scholarly keynotes to more practical presentations.
The brief updates above are not new, but they are recent, and please continue to visit the website in order to stay informed of current developments and offerings. The ISSP values you, and we hope that there is considerably more value for you in becoming or maintaining your membership in the ISSP. We are supporters and strong partners with every continental society, evidenced in two recent ISSP Consensus Statements, derived from our well led and attended International Think Tanks on Athlete Mental Health. These Think Tanks will extend into the future, and they will expand across every continent.
Most recently, in fact today, we have officially launched the ISSP Registry. Today is a momentous day, and it has been a long time in development. We are now inviting Fast Track Applicants to submit for the ISSP-R. Simply visit our website and examine the criteria and terms and conditions involved in the application process. Then, for those who are ready, begin to develop your applications. We have an email where you might converse further with us about the ISSP-R and subsequently submit your application: isspr@issponline.org
We continue to progress, with you, the membership, in mind. The ISSP is a scholarly society, now with active practical opportunities through which professionals might hone their skills and gain recognition.
We wish you and your families a wonderful and safe Spring. Should you have any questions relating to discussion points above, or further questions related to the society as a whole, of course, please visit our organizational structure and reach out to our committee, including me, anytime.
Warmest wishes,
Robert Schinke
President of the International Society of Sport Psychology
