How Valuable Are Short-Term Certificate Courses In Psychology?
Stillness 5 –An exploration of a relationship between our desire for amassing certificates and aggrandizing ourselves, brought together by a (false) sense of competence.
Hi readers, thank you for sticking around!
I have been figuring out how I want to grow Stillness in Sport and the different ways in which Substack works, while navigating my dissertation research. If someone had told me in 2020 that I would get to pursue a PhD, I would’ve said no way. If someone had told me I’d be doing a PhD while living and thriving in -20°C/-4F, I would’ve wondered if that is even possible for me and promptly reconsidered my life goals. Just kidding — there are very few things I can say with utmost conviction, and pursuing sport psychology is one of them.
Summary
Perspective on how short-term certificate courses can be helpful or harmful
Areas to reflect on while pondering over if pursuing a course is a good idea
In my second year of undergrad in psychology, here I was, about to begin an online course (massive open online course, MOOC) in something to do with law. An island so far away from my mainland passion of psychology, I never thought I would venture so far isolated. Yet there I was — eagerly waiting for this new journey to start on Coursera. And I was at their door (virtually, of course) because of genuine interest — a curiosity to know a little bit more about law that would culminate in my satisfaction of learning something new and linking it back to psychology.
Many streams, including sport and exercise psychology, are developing at a rapid pace –new insights and practices related to the applied field and research are created by professionals who are pushing the field’s boundaries. Amidst this, certificate courses add value to our knowledge and skills. But they evidently cause immense damage which we continue to brush under the carpet for one apparent reason — to boost our ego and careers.
There has understandably been a rise in people pursuing online certificate courses recently. To broaden horizons, stay mentally active or simply continue reaping the benefits of learning in overwhelming and uncertain times. While certificate courses help us learn, diversify our skill set, and explore new territories, there is a fundamental deathtrap glaring at us. Courses that are a few weeks long, including diplomas, are mainly meant for awareness about a particular area. Especially any health sciences including psychology. Any learning does need to be applied, yes. Sadly, some courses are advertised as the one stop shop to learn about psychology.
Since (sport and exercise) psychology is a health science, fundamentally about the lives of people, a master’s degree or beyond that is a prerequisite for being eligible and competent to work. So, I only address the problematic nature of short online certificate courses in professions that are concerned with the health, well-being, and performance dimensions of humans, such as psychology.
This may sound like a weird analogy, but here it goes anyway — certificate courses are like starters in a restaurant. Their main aims are to give us a taste of the knowledge in a certain area, and to increase the appetite for that knowledge so that we dive into the main course meal, which are degree programs, training and work experience.
Certificate courses when coupled with appropriate degree education can serve as a salad that accompanies the main course. This space is not to judge if an appetizer is better than the main course meal or vice versa; they both have distinct purposes. The aim is different. It is to ask — which is enough and ethical? Just a starter, the main course, or both? Appetizers are not replacements for main course meals, although we may do that in a restaurant.
Certificate courses in psychology focus on building the foundation by making us aware of its fundamentals. While such a course in psychology may cover a few practical aspects of working with people, it does not mean a person transforms into a ‘psychologist’ fully competent to apply the skills by the end of the sixth week of the course. If only life was that straightforward and simplistic, we would have the capacity to become a doctor, lawyer, psychologist and much more all at once.
Through an ‘Introduction to psychology’ course, we can learn a little bit about something, not most of something or everything. While psychology and other health sciences expect us to understand the scope of practice and work within it, our human tendency makes us want to go beyond that.
Certificate course makers — institutions and companies, run the grave risk of giving false confidence to people who are mainly there for a paper of validation. When masses of people follow the bandwagon (effect) to pursue such paths without the love for learning, the collective standard of a field can irreversibly collapse.
Our transient culture of use and throw has greatly affected our learning — we refuse to pause and reflect. It’s always about what lies ahead and never about what is beneath our feet.
Isn’t the human mind and spirit a little too precious to only be fed with appetizers without wholesome foods? While we chase social status and recognition, collecting certificates becomes a delusional hobby that only works to stroke our ego at the risk of not developing vital skills and in turn, causing harm to the people we are supposed to support and provide high-quality services.
Want to pursue a certificate course in psychology?
Reflect on these aspects before beginning:
1. Heavy duty thinking first — would you still do the course if there was no certificate to be earned? What if the same content was delivered by the same person through a series of good old talks?
2. A good way to realize if an opportunity is worth pursuing is to ask yourself ‘Am I in need of a certificate of recognition or do I want to learn new skills and knowledge? Which is my priority?’ Sure, it can be both, as certificates add weight to CVs and make us more employable. But while eating multiple starters may feel like having eaten a main course dish, the world of psychology does not function that way.
We unknowingly prioritize social validation and the result (a certificate) over learning, and crave the feeling of being competent over genuinely being competent at a job. The latter takes a whole lot of more time and efforts.
3. Psychology is vast — which stream do you want to engage in? Organizational, social, sport, clinical, counselling? Depending on your interest and preference, have a look at the syllabus/content a course is offering. Will your selected course fulfill your needs?
4. In what ways can you implement the topics in your real world? How can you find value in that content?
5. If you are serious about becoming a psychologist or want to integrate psychological skills and knowledge in your work in a different area, are you proceeding gradually and patiently — from starting with a broader and general introduction and then narrowing down to your specific interests?
Learning and education can either make us lose touch with reality, as if we are the only ‘experts’, or keep us grounded and humble. Short-term certificate courses have the power to do both —eventually, it depends on the learner as to which way we lean.
I’d most appreciate if you can share Stillness in Sport with your people if you have enjoyed and gained some value from my writing. Your support makes this work possible!
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