Faculty of Education and Psychology launches new Postgraduate Programme in Sport and Performance Psychology
There will be an open online class on "What no one ever told me about sports and performance psychology", with Joana Cerqueira (Psychologist at Futebol Clube do Porto) and Sérgio M. Vaz (Psychologist at Sport Lisboa e Benfica) and Carlos Fernandes (Sports and Performance Psychologist and one of the coordinators of the new postgraduate course), on 21 June at 12.30pm.
A sportsperson or performer, regardless of the sport or performing art, has to develop solid psychological skills to overcome all challenges. Focus, determination and planning can be the key, if supported by trained professionals. It is based on this premise that the new Postgraduate Programme in Sports and Performance Psychology at the Faculty of Education and Psychology of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa was born, aimed specifically at psychologists.
"The Postgraduate Diploma in Sport and Performance Psychology was designed to develop specific knowledge and skills in psychologists, making them more capable of carrying out psychological intervention with the different agents - athletes, performers, coaches, among others - in these contexts", emphasises Catarina Morais, one of the coordinators of the new Postgraduate Diploma in Sport and Performance Psychology and a lecturer at the Faculty of Education and Psychology. Carlos Fernandes, a sports psychologist and also the coordinator of the new course, explains that "sports and performance psychologists work with the central objective of developing the individual as a whole, seeking to improve their performance, well-being and psychological skills that are relevant to achieving success in the context of sport and/or performance," adding that "these contexts require specific intervention skills from psychologists".
This new approach allows for a great deal of in-depth study of the themes and experiences brought by the professionals. Aimed exclusively at psychologists, this postgraduate course favours face-to-face work, which will be based above all on experiential methodologies so that, through a strong practical component, trainees can develop skills for working in these contexts. This component will take place on an intensive basis (full Saturdays), with the "aim of creating conditions for simulated practice exercises and increasing the emotional experience associated with the tasks, as a way of enhancing learning and retaining knowledge", says Catarina Morais.
The postgraduate programme has a teaching staff with extensive experience of intervention in sports and performance contexts, and also has the distinctive feature of investing in the development of intervention skills in the psychologists themselves, through a methodology that invites the trainee to their own personal and professional development, enabling them to enhance their decision-making capacity, criteria and coherence in intervention.
An event open to the public, but subject to registration.