Sports Psychology is the use of psychological knowledge and skills to address the optimal performance and well-being of athletes, it inspects the social aspects of sports participation and psychological issues associated with sports settings and organizations.

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To become a sports psychiatrist you have to obtain a master's or doctoral degree in clinical, counseling, or sports psychology. Some doctors then do additional training in pediatric psychology to help young athletes. (source 4)

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Clients for a sports psychologist are athletes of any sport and of any age. It is less common for young athletes to have a sports psychologist unless they suffer from preexisting psychological defects including panic disorders, ADD, or OCD. Professional athletes and professional sports teams have sports psychologists to address the "number of challenges related to their work, including high injury rates, public scrutiny, short careers and high-stakes contract negotiations" (psychologist Scott Goldman, PhD, the team clinician for one NFL team.) (source 3)

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