Canada has a long history in the study and practice of sport psychology, more broadly, and mental performance consulting, more specifically. As a field, it emerged from the biological and social sciences as a unique academic discipline to explain sport performance distinct from that of related fields of motor learning and control, and motor development in the 1960s. Contemporary work sees the expansion of the field for academic study of performance in a variety of contexts (such as exercise, public health, organizational behavior, first responder and medical performance, coaching, youth sport participation, and high performance achievement in sport and the performing arts), as well as practitioner effectiveness (such as mental performance consulting, mental health practitioners, athlete lifestyle wellness, and culture experts).

Canadian mental performance academics, researchers, and practitioners are active members and leaders in a number of Canadian, North-American, and International organizations. Canadians participated in the first meeting of the International Society for Sport Psychology (ISSP) in Rome in 1965. In North America, Canadians have been active participants (and leaders) since the inception of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP), American Psychological Association Division 47 (APA), and North American Society for the Psychology Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA). Canada has its own similar societies known as the Canadian Sport Psychology Association/Association Canadienne De Psychologie Du Sport (CSPA-ACPS), Canadian Psychological Association – Sport & Exercise Division (CPA), and Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology (SCAPPS). In 2022, the CSPA-ACPS signed a joint memorandum of understanding (MOU) in partnership with AASP in the support of the Certified Mental Performance Consultant® (CMPC) credential program. Today, there are three Canadian CMPCs who sit on the CMPC Certification Council.

In anticipation of supporting the CMPC certification program, AASP helped CSPA-ACPS finalize a Report on the Transportability Study: Assessing Equivalency of the Jobs of AASP Certified Mental Performance Consultant® and CSPA Mental Performance Consultant in October 2020. It was found that the Canadian mental performance consultant job was in 98% alignment with the AASP mental performance consultant job. Thus, the requirements of master’s level education, academic coursework, and mentored experience were, therefore, deemed to be an acceptable standard for Canadians to practice mental performance consulting. There are a number of different pathways to achieve these standards in Canada, similar to that of the United States. Typically, students studying in Canada seek out either kinesiology or psychology-based undergraduate and graduate-level degrees (which are offered by several universities in every province). Currently, mental performance consulting majors/diplomas are rare in Canada. It is not uncommon for students to design their own education pathways through multiple departments and schools. Most academic institutions require a thesis (master’s degree) and dissertation (doctoral degree), rather than coursework, as the central component of academic study. Often, internships and applied practice mentorship is something done outside of the degree. The Registry of Approved Mentors is the most accessible resource for students wanting to find a mentor.

In Canada, the title of Sport Psychologist is illegal. The titles accepted for individuals working in mental performance are “Certified Mental Performance Consultant®”, “mental health practitioner working in sport” (including Canadian certified counselor, registered certified counselor, registered psychologist), and “sport psychiatrist”. Generally, all practitioners carry liability insurance, belong to a regulatory body, and practice in accordance with a code of ethics and professional standards. Mental performance practitioners can be employed both in the public sector (for example, sport schools, art academies, military, hospitals and medical programs, high performance sport institutes, and Canadian multisport organizations [COC/CPC; Canada Games mission Staff, Game Plan]), as well as the private sector (for example, private mental health clinics, wholistic health clinics, sport parent, master athlete, youth athlete clubs, orchestras, and Cirque du Soleil).

Overall, the field of mental performance in Canada continues to evolve, playing a vital role in the advancement of performance excellence and overall well-being of individuals within and beyond Canada.