Psychology Division

The CASES Division of Psychology seeks to represent and support both the academic and practical interests of those who have a passion for the progressive field of sport and exercise psychology. This includes a focus on scholarly activity and research through expert statements, conference presentations and grants; as well as the quality assurance of psychology practitioners through the CASES accreditation and supervised experience programme.

The Division promotes the engagement and knowledge-development of its members in a variety of topic areas and organises its Divisional activities within three core strands:

Performance Excellence – focused on those topics, processes and populations that relate to human performance enhancement;
Engagement and Development – focused on those factors, processes and stakeholders that relate to athlete development, and lifelong sport and exercise participation;
Mental Health and Wellbeing – focused on those factors, interventions and processes that relate to the mental health spectrum in sport and exercise settings

If you are a CASES member, check out the Psychology Division Hub in the Members' Area, where you can access a range of resources including videos and presentations from the CASES Conference and Division events.

Meet the Psychology Division Committee

Dr Patricia Jackman FCASES
Chair

Dr Leighton Jones MCASES Deputy Chair

Dr Richard Simpson
Co-opted Member

William Donald
Membership Representative

Manisha Aggarwal
CPD Representative

Dandya Chen Student Representative (PG)

Erin-Lee Donoghue Student Representative (PG)

Psychology Division Theme Leads

Prof Chris Harwood FCASES
CASES/Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) Collaboration Lead

Dr Rob Morris FCASES
CASES Sport and Exercise Psychology Accreditation Route (SEPAR) Lead

Contact the Division

If you wish to contact a member of the Psychology Division Committee, contact details can be found within the Division Hub pages in the Members' Area.

Division News and Events

The latest Division newsletter, resources and further information on upcoming Division events can be accessed via the Members' Area.

More about Sport and Exercise Psychology

Sport Psychologists

Sport Psychologists are interested in:

Helping athletes to perform better, more consistently and, in many cases;
Improving the quality of experience of participation in sport;
Other issues such as career transitions (such as retirement), coach behaviour and communication skills.

Some sport psychologists are also trained in clinical psychology and are qualified to provide assistance with problems such as drug abuse and eating disorders.

Exercise Psychologists

Exercise psychologists aim to help people become physically active and maintain a healthy relationship with exercise. They work with members of the general public who are already physically active and wish to maintain these behaviours, as well as individuals and populations who would benefit from increasing levels of physical activity. Exercise psychologists use evidence-based behaviour change and motivational strategies to help individuals initiate and sustain physical activity. They may also support healthcare professionals and others involved in promoting physical activity, as well as contribute to group- and community-based exercise initiatives. Exercise psychologists also work with clinical and non-clinical populations to promote physical activity as both a therapeutic aid and a preventative measure for mental and physical ill health. Exercise psychologists are not primarily focused on facilitating peak sporting performance. They may work in research, applied practice, or a combination of both. Exercise psychology draws upon cognitive, behavioural, affective, and social perspectives to understand and optimise physical activity behaviour and wellbeing.

Psychology Related Links

The American Psychological Association
The APA is the licensing professional body for psychologists in North America.

The Australian Psychological Society
The APS is the equivalent Australian body to the APA and the BPS.

The Association for Applied Sport Psychology
AASP is based in North America, but offers accreditation for applied sport psychology consultants around the world.

The British Olympic Association
The BOA is the organisation that is responsible for the United Kingdom’s involvement in the Olympic movement, which has its own register of sport psychologists. BASES has a Memorandum of Collaboration with the BOA.

The British Psychological Society
The BPS is the professional body that is responsible for the development of the discipline and maintenance of standards in the range of sub-disciplines across psychology (such as educational, occupation and clinical). The BPS does not yet offer chartered status in Sport or Exercise Psychology. BASES has a Memorandum of Collaboration with the BPS.

The European Federation of Sport Psychology
FEPSAC is a pan-European society, to which members of recognised home country bodies are automatically affiliated.

Health and Care Professionals Council
The Health and Care Professions Council are a regulator, and set up to protect the public. To do this, the HCPC we keep a Register of health and care professionals who meet their standards for their training, professional skills, behaviour and health and this includes Practitioner Psychologists.

The International Society of Sport Psychology
ISSP is an organisation devoted to promoting research and development in the discipline of sport psychology throughout the world.