INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR SPORTS PSYCHIATRY

What INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR SPORTS PSYCHIATRY does

The International Society for Sports Psychiatry (ISSP) is a nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 1994 and headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, dedicated to advancing the psychiatric care of athletes. It serves practicing psychiatrists, psychiatry residents, medical students, and other clinicians across the United States, South Africa, Canada, Switzerland, Brazil, and Lithuania. ISSP positions itself as the foremost authority on sports psychiatry and maintains institutional affiliations with the IOC, WHO, World Psychiatric Association, and APA.

ISSP operates a portal-based membership platform powered by joynAMS that bundles education, certification, mentorship, and community. Core offerings include the Member Portal, a Certificate of Additional Training in Sports Psychiatry, a Portable Didactic Curriculum, a Mentorship Program pairing trainees with clinicians of 10+ years of experience, Special Interest Groups, Educational Resources, Youth Coach Tip Sheets, a quarterly newsletter, and an Annual Scientific Meeting. The society's intellectual property includes the first-of-its-kind ISSP Manual of Sports Psychiatry (Routledge, 2018) and co-led launch of the Journal of Sports and Exercise Psychiatry in 2022. ISSP is governed by a Board of Directors led by President Dr. James Burger (South Africa), with five total employees.

The business model is a multi-stream nonprofit revenue structure: recurring membership dues, donations across Bronze ($100-249), Silver ($250-499), Gold ($500-999), and Platinum ($1,000+) tiers, registration revenue from conferences and scientific sessions, fees from the certificate program, and strategic partnerships/collaborations. Go-to-market is community-led, with membership acquired online through the sportspsychiatry.org portal and engagement driven by annual conferences, mentorship cohorts, SIGs, and content marketing across Facebook, X, Instagram, and a quarterly newsletter.

Name

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR SPORTS PSYCHIATRY

Legal name

International Society for Sports Psychiatry

Website

https://sportspsychiatry.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The International Society for Sports Psychiatry is a nonprofit professional membership organization, founded in 1994, that advances the psychiatric care of athletes worldwide. It serves practicing psychiatrists, residents, medical students, and clinicians via a member portal offering education, certification, mentorship, and an annual scientific conference.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Medical Society - Sports Psychiatry

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHSADAEAH

Sports Psychology & Mental Performance Coaching

Home & Personal Services/Fitness, Wellness & Personal Training/Sports Coaching & Athletic Performance

Keywords

• Sports psychiatry
• Professional medical society
• Physician membership organization
• Medical education programs
• Mental health certification

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from psychiatrists, residents, medical students, and other clinicians. Membership benefits include referral network inclusion, listserv access, mentorship program participation, certificate program eligibility, and special interest group resources.
2. Educational Programs and Certificates: Revenue from the Certificate of Additional Training in Sports Psychiatry program, which requires satisfactory completion of curriculum requirements.
3. Events and Conferences: Annual meetings and scientific sessions generating revenue through registration and attendance.
4. Sponsorships and Donations: Website advertising, sponsorship programs through meetings, and donations at various giving levels (Bronze $100-249, Silver $250-499, Gold $500-999, Platinum $1,000+).
5. Partnerships and Collaborations: Strategic partnerships with organizations to develop projects and secure funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ISSP is a global nonprofit professional society that advances sports psychiatry through membership services, structured education, and certification. It offers a Member Portal for dues and benefits administration, a Mentorship Program, a Certificate of Additional Training in Sports Psychiatry, a portable didactic curriculum, Special Interest Groups, educational resources and youth coach tip sheets, a quarterly newsletter, an annual scientific conference, and co-publishes the Journal of Sports and Exercise Psychiatry. Members are practicing psychiatrists, psychiatry residents, medical students, and other clinicians who treat athletes.

Product overview

The International Society for Sports Psychiatry offers a portfolio of membership-based services focused on advancing the field of sports psychiatry. The core offering centers on the Member Portal, which provides access to membership management and benefits. Supporting programs include a Mentorship Program connecting trainees with experienced mentors, a Certificate of Additional Training in Sports Psychiatry for medical professionals, and a Portable Didactic Curriculum for education. Additional resources include Educational Resources (slides and materials from members), Youth Tip Sheets for coaches, an ISSP Newsletter, and Special Interest Groups for member collaboration. The organization also holds an Annual Conference for knowledge sharing. The portfolio functions as a unified membership platform with interconnected educational, professional development, and networking components.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ISSP Member Portal Online platform for ISSP members to access their accounts, renew membership, pay dues, view their profile, access recordings from the annual meeting, and utilize the ISSP store. Powered by joynAMS technology.
• Mentorship Program Exclusive group mentoring program connecting trainees with mentors who have at least 10 years of experience in sports psychiatry. Features engaging Zoom sessions led by experienced ISSP mentors covering various topics throughout the year. Chaired by Dr. Alex Strauss.
• Certificate of Additional Training in Sports Psychiatry Educational certification program available to medical students, psychiatry residents, fellows in psychiatry subspecialty programs, and board-certified psychiatrists. Learners who complete all aspects of the curriculum may be eligible for the certificate.
• ISSP Curriculum Portable didactic sports psychiatry curriculum designed to enhance the knowledge base of physicians in sports psychiatry science and increase the skill with which clinicians provide psychiatric health care to athlete populations. Includes readings, writing assignments, and a final project component.
• Educational Resources Collection of educational materials shared by ISSP members including slides on mental illness in athletes, prescribing psychiatric medications, exercise for mood disorders, concussion in sports, mental game improvement, and pre-season screening questionnaires.
• ISSP Annual Conference Annual scientific meeting bringing together sports psychiatrists worldwide to share research findings and clinical insights. Access to recordings available through the membership portal and ISSP store. The 2026 Annual Meeting was held with excellent turnout.
• Journal of Sports and Exercise Psychiatry Specialist sports psychiatry journal launched in 2022 under the leadership of the Swiss Society for Sports Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, providing a peer-reviewed platform for sports psychiatry research and practice. ISSP supports the journal as a partner organization.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 19% of male athletes and up to 45% of female athletes suffer from eating disorders and/or disordered eating
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Professional Footballers Association of Canada and OnrisemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2025Partnership providing all professional soccer players in Canada with free, confidential access to counseling and psychiatric services through Onrise, an athlete-led service provider. This represents a global trend of players' associations taking active roles in mental health provision.
• Stanford University - Sports and Performance Psychiatry FellowshipcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025Stanford University launched the first Sports and Performance Psychiatry Fellowship in the United States, exclusively dedicated to training psychiatrists in athlete and performance-based mental health care. Fellows train within Stanford Medicine and Stanford Athletics with opportunities in psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, consultative roles, and multidisciplinary collaboration. This represents a major milestone for the field and sets a precedent for advanced training pathways.
• Temple University Athletics - TUWell ProgrammajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Temple University's TUWell mental wellness program for student-athletes, led by Dr. Stephany Coakley. The program shares implementation strategies and outcomes data including effective stigma reduction through education, streamlined referral processes, and improved access to psychiatric care among athletes.
• Major League Baseball (MLB) and Crisis Text LinemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership between MLB and Crisis Text Line providing free 24/7 text counseling service for young baseball players and families. Dr. Shairi Turner, Chief Health Officer of Crisis Text Line, reported significant uptake. The partnership normalizes mental health discussions with youth athletes seeking help as readily as for physical injuries.
• International Olympic Committee (IOC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIOC Mental Health in Elite Athletes Toolkit developed to assist in implementing initiatives for protection and promotion of mental health and well-being among elite athletes. The toolkit is designed for use by athletes, coaches, and health professionals.
• World Psychiatric AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. David Baron serves as chair of a section on topics related to Sports Psychiatry for the World Psychiatric Association, advancing the field through international professional organizations.
• World Health OrganizationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. David Baron serves as chair of a section on topics related to Sports Psychiatry for the World Health Organization, contributing to global health policy and guidelines.
• Swiss Society for Sports Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (SSSPP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaunched the Journal of Sports and Exercise Psychiatry in 2022 under SSSPP leadership, providing a specialist peer-reviewed platform for sports psychiatry research and practice.
• IOC Mental Health Leadership GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISSP supported the IOC Mental Health Leadership Group hosting the PROMISE Conference 2025 in Edinburgh (September 20-21), bringing together global leaders to focus exclusively on athlete mental health.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP): US-based professional organization for sport psychology practitioners offering certification (CMPC), continuing education, and member services. Comparable membership-society model and athlete mental performance focus, though tilted toward psychology rather than psychiatry.
• Swiss Society for Sports Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (SSSPP): Swiss national society for sports psychiatry that directly partners with ISSP to co-lead the Journal of Sports and Exercise Psychiatry. It is the closest national-level peer focused on the same subspecialty.
• International Society of Sport Psychology (ISSP): Global professional society for sport psychology that overlaps with ISSP's mental performance and athlete well-being focus. Both serve clinicians and researchers working at the intersection of mental health and sport, though ISSP focuses on psychiatry and ISSP-science focuses on psychology.

Broad incumbents

• American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM): Large US-based professional organization covering sports medicine and exercise science broadly, with overlapping themes around athlete health and performance. ACSM has substantially larger membership and resources, making it a broad incumbent rather than a direct niche peer.
• American Psychiatric Association (APA): The largest professional psychiatric organization in the US, awarding ISSP's leadership the Presidential Award. APA covers all psychiatry subspecialties and represents the broader umbrella under which ISSP's sports psychiatry focus operates.
• World Psychiatric Association (WPA): Global umbrella psychiatric organization where ISSP-affiliated leaders chair the Sports Psychiatry section. WPA operates at a broader psychiatric level but is the institutional home through which ISSP gains international policy influence.

Emerging players

• National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA): US professional association for athletic trainers that addresses athlete health and increasingly mental health. Adjacent in scope to ISSP, with overlapping relationships with collegiate and professional athletics programs but focused on training rather than psychiatric care.

Others

• International Olympic Committee (IOC): Global governing body of the Olympic Movement and a strategic partner rather than a competitor. ISSP-affiliated leaders participate in IOC Mental Health Leadership Group initiatives including the Mental Health in Elite Athletes Toolkit and the PROMISE Conference, making IOC a critical ecosystem participant.

Regional players

• British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine (BASEM): UK-based professional association for sport and exercise medicine physicians addressing athlete physical and mental health. Comparable membership-society model and athlete well-being focus, but primarily UK-focused rather than globally competitive with ISSP.
• European Federation of Sport Psychology (FEPSM): European regional federation for sport psychology that addresses athlete mental performance and well-being. Comparable mission and target audience to ISSP, though primarily serving European members rather than competing globally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sportspsychissp
• Facebookfacebook.com/ISSPorg
• Instagraminstagram.com/sportspsychissp/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-society-for-sports-psychiatry

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR SPORTS PSYCHIATRY