Two confessional tales of trainee sport psychologists' experiences of operating in Trinidad and Tobago

The increased internationalisation and globalisation of sport (Lee et al., 2010) has led the industry to become more culturally diverse as both athletes (Agergaard & Ryba, 2014) and sporting professionals (coaches; psychologists; Quartiroli et al., 2021) migrate to different parts of the globe to pursue their careers and dreams. Sport Psychology Practitioners must therefore consider the role of cultural diversity within their practice when working with individuals from various multinational backgrounds (Ryba et al., 2013). There are currently limited reflective accounts from trainee Sport Psychology Practitioners’ (tSPPs) transnational experiences, which may contribute to them not considering the development of cultural competencies and humility as part of their training. Our paper, therefore, presents two confessional tales of our transnational experiences as UK-based tSPPs, while working in a professional sport organisation in Trinidad and Tobago.

Our presentation first provides contextual elements of our placement before sharing the key elements of our confessional tales regarding the nuances of applying sport psychology services in a cultural context other than the one we are currently training in. Nested within the confessional tales, we share some challenges and hurdles we experienced relating to our culturally led assumptions. The tales are titled “Boundary Issues” and “Punctuality is a Privilege”. We then share some key reflections which explore our limitations of cultural competence by describing our underestimation of our White privilege and the numerous challenges experienced during our cultural reflection process. We conclude by offering several practical implications for tSPPs, qualified practitioners, and sport psychology organisations.