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12 TPC Digest Stephen P. Hebard, Katie A. Lamberson Enhancing the Sport Counseling Specialty A Call for a Unified Identity T he purpose of this paper is to discuss the current state of mental health services provided to athletes and to identify and address the potential barriers for counselors who wish to work in sport. The authors provide a brief history of mental health services in sport, focusing on the counseling field’s vision for an integrated sport counseling specialty. In addition, this paper identifies gaps in counselor competence and identity that may be necessary to establish sport counseling as a recognized profession amongst other professions working in sport. Finally, the authors discuss suggestions for researchers, practitioners, and advocates to ensure a future for the sport counseling specialty. Professionals currently working in the athletic arena typically prioritize interventions related to sport performance optimization over conceptualization and treatment of behavioral and mental health concerns that exist within the athlete population. Though subject to considerable stigma and often mistaken as a population of individuals more healthy than non-athletes, there is mounting evidence that suggests that athletes experience behavioral health issues (e.g., substance abuse, participation in risky behaviors, eating disorders, etc.) at a more disparate rate than their non-athlete peers. When paired with evidence that athletes are less likely to seek help than non-athletes, there is a clear need for enhanced intervention and participation from counselors in the context of sport. In 2013, the National Athletic Training Association (NATA) called for the development of a collaborative plan to recognize and refer student athletes experiencing psychological concerns to the appropriate mental health professionals. In doing so, NATA catalyzed a long overdue shift in the philosophy and attention of stakeholders invested in the overall well-being of athletes. As a result, the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Mental Health Task Force and Sport Science Institute have prioritized programming that targets a variety of health initiatives, behavioral and mental health included. Counselors have yet to become involved in these and related initiatives. Furthermore, services currently provided to athletes are performed by practitioners with certification from the Applied Association for Sport Psychology or a proficiency designated by the American Psychological Association’s Division 47. An argument for the unique contributions of the counselor and a willingness to collaborate among established professionals is warranted.