Abstract
Physical activity (PA) provides many significant mental health benefits. Though psychologists frequently promote PA in psychotherapy, there is a lack of structured guidance for psychologists on how to promote PA whilst navigating ethical guidelines and professional standards. This commentary discusses three ethical considerations relevant to psychologists’ PA promotion: PA promotion as a psychological intervention, safe practice, and the scope of practice of a psychologist. We provide detailed discussion using examples from research and case scenarios on PA promotion. We recommend that psychologists utilise their expertise in behaviour change when promoting PA, utilise physical health screening tools to assess for risk and refer to health professionals when specialised exercise support is required. In doing so, we aim to provide a structured resource that increases psychologists’ confidence and competence to safely integrate PA promotion into psychological treatment.