Choosing a stage 2 pathway

Choosing how to continue your training as a sport and exercise psychologist is not easy. Therefore, I hope this post can shed some light on the current options and my top tips for

choosing the right one for you!

What is a stage 2 course?

In the realm of sport and exercise psychology, a stage 2 course is the final step of the pathway to becoming a fully qualified sport and exercise psychologist. It comes after having completed a BSc and MSc degree in related fields. During this pathway, individuals are able to work with clients under supervision, to provide support, alongside gaining other relevant hours, such as CPD and dissemination. These courses allow individuals to gain knowledge and skills to work independently in the field. On completion of a stage 2 pathway, individuals can register with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Practitioner Psychologist.

What options are there?

There are three main stage 2 options, and I have summarised the key points:

1) Qualification in Sport and Exercise Psychology (QSEP): British Psychological Society (BPS).

An independent training route, providing opportunities to put your knowledge into practice.
Involves finding a supervisor and creating a plan of training in preparation for application.
At doctoral level.
Requires a society accredited master’s degree and membership with the BPS.
Requires a DBS check.
Choice of 2-4 years, with a flexible start date.
160 days of applied work with up to 300 days of planning.
3 portfolio submissions to demonstrate evidence of competence and development over the course of the programme.
Includes a viva: a 2h long assessment on the whole portfolio at the end of the specified duration.
Total qualification fee of £6217.20. There will be further fees for supervision, re-submission etc.

Find out more here: https://www.bps.org.uk/bps-qualifications/sport-and-exercise-psychology

2) Sport and Exercise Psychology Accreditation Route (SEPAR): British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences.

An independent training route, providing opportunities to put your knowledge into practice.
Involves finding a supervisor and creating a plan of training in preparation for application.
Requires an accredited BSc and MSc in sport-related fields, along with graduate membership with BASES. If previous degrees not based in psychology, an investigating psychology module may need to be taken.
Requires a DBS check.
Enrolment deadline of either the 1st August or 1st February. Choice of 2-4 years duration.
3200 total hours (400 days) split between consulting, dissemination and CPD.
Includes compulsory workshops.
Total qualification fee of £3995. There will be further fees for supervision, re-submission etc.

Find out more here: https://www.bases.org.uk/spage-professional_development-separ.html

3) Professional doctorate (HCPC approved): Liverpool John Moores University, Portsmouth University, Glasgow Caledonian University.

Blended learning of academic and practical work.
Requires BPS accredited master’s degree, and subject to interview.
Includes a research project.
Part-time (6 years) or full-time (3 years).
Assessed through portfolio work, presentation and viva voce exam.
Support from a supervisor.
Costs:
- Portsmouth: Full-time: £7,100, part-time: £3,600 p/a.
- Liverpool: Full time: £8,380
- Glasgow: Full time: £7,800
- Additional costs may come from accommodation, maintenance etc.
Title of Dr and applied practitioner.

Find out more here:

There is also the option of undertaking a PhD. However, there would be less practical application here, in favour of more academic work.

Things to consider

Choosing whether to begin a stage 2 course in the first place, and if so which one, is not an easy decision to make, as they are all large undertakings. There may be a few things that you want to consider, to help with this decision process:

What previous degrees do you have?
From above, the BPS requires society accredited degrees in sport and exercise psychology, whereas BASES is more flexible in terms of the subject of your master’s degree, providing a ‘catch up’ module before enrolment if necessary. Depending on the nature of your education, this may sway you towards one option over another.
Are you already a member of any organisations?
If you are already a member of BPS and BASES, this may mean you are more drawn to either of their options, as it saves buying a membership for the other organisation.
How many hours of work are you willing to undertake?
The BPS route has a requirement of completing more hours of work, so the number that you want to do may impact with option you choose. The professional doctorate courses will again differ on the number of hours required.
Are you looking for a research element and viva?
The BPS and professional doctorate courses will require a research element, of a larger scale than at postgraduate degree. If this is not something that interests you, the SEPAR course (with no research element) may be more beneficial.
How much support will you want?
All courses vary on the amount and type of support. The BPS have their own BPS hub for resources, whereas BASES have core workshops to help you along the process. If at a university, this will have its own resources and sources of support (e.g., academic skills, wellbeing etc.).
What are the costs?
Each course has a range of different costs of different amounts. It may depend on how much you can or are willing to pay as to which option you then choose.
What is your career end goal?
If your goal is to be fully focused on practical work and working with client's, the QSEP or SEPAR may be more relevant. However, if you want to split your time between academic and practical work, a professional doctorate may be more relevant to your needs.
Would you like to start at any time, or have deadlines?
BASES SEPAR and professional doctorates have application and submission deadlines, whereas you can apply for the QSEP at any time. Other work/life commitments may determine whether having rigid deadlines will work for you or not.
Where would you like to work?
Your location may also impact which course you choose. Obviously, being at a university usually requires you to be either there or close-by, whereas the BPS and BASES options allow you to work more remotely or within your local area.
Do you require access to the literature?
When you enrol with a university, this opens up the amount of literature you can access online, whereas working independently usually requires you to pay for any journal articles online. Whilst your supervisor may be able to provide access, this is still something that you may want to consider.
Who would you like your supervisor to be?
Both the BPS and BASES have directories where you can look for supervisors and see some information about them. Contact as many as you can and work out who would suit your needs best, and who you think you would have a good relationship with. If you already know a supervisor, depending on which course they supervise on, this may sway your final decision.
Are you prepared to go through the interview process?
To enrol onto a postgraduate course, you may be subject to interview. Understanding that this is part of the process may help you to decide which option is best for you.
How long would you like to be on the course for?
Postgraduate courses have strict timelines of 3 years full time, or 6 years part time. However, the QSEP and SEPAR programmes have flexible durations of 2, 3 or 4 years, and this can usually be changed during the process if necessary. Considering how long you would like to continue your training for, bearing in mind your other commitments, may help you to decide.

Reasons for my choice

It might also be beneficial for me to talk about the factors that influenced my choice and led me to enrol on the BASES SEPAR pathway. Cost was a major one. Not only the total cost, but also the amount of time I’d be paying my supervisor as well. The cheaper SEPAR pathway allowed me to feel more comfortable going for a longer duration, and not feeling like I had to rush my training. I also liked that there were things included in the price, such as the core workshops. In line with this, the available support was also a factor. I was pleased to see there were scheduled workshops to help with my training, but also found the amount of information provided in the handbooks and other available documents (e.g., logs) to be really beneficial in terms of helping me to understand what would be required over the 3 years. Within this information, having the deadlines set out was also really helpful, as I work better with set time frames and goals to work towards. Through talking to others, I also found that people seemed to be enjoying their time on this pathway, and recommended it, which also helped me to be more confident in my decision. Finally, I currently do not have a strong interest in research or know what I would want to research. Therefore, removing this element for the time-being means I can focus more on my career goals of working in applied sport/exercise.

Final top tips

1) Don’t rush the decision

Choosing a stage 2 pathway is not an easy decision and shouldn’t be taken lightly. Take some time after your master’s to consider what you want to do, how you want to qualify and what your current interests are. Read through all the available options, information and considerations mentioned above. It took me 2 years to enrol onto the SEPAR pathway and I felt I needed all this time to come to the right decision.

2) Talk to others

Talking to other trainees, previous lecturers and supervisors is valuable in getting a real insight into what each pathway can offer. No one knows the course better than those that have been on it, so grab any opportunities that you can to discuss with others and get your questions answered!

3) Choose what’s best for you

Try not to be swayed by what your friends or past classmates are doing. Consider all your options and choose the one that will actually be best for you, rather than what you think others want you to do, or what you feel you have to do.

4) Be confident

Deciding to continue your training is a big step, so be confident that whatever decision you make, you have made the right one, and this is the final step to reaching your career goals! Be brave, talk to others, and throw yourself into your training.

I hope this blog has been useful to any future trainee sport and exercise psychologists out there! If you have any further questions, or want to connect, don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Thank you for reading 😊

Instagram: @bsportpsych

LinkedIn: Brede Simpson

Email: bsportpsych@hotmail.com