Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology Annual Conference 2022

Submissions

Key submission dates

3 May 2022: Online submission system opens

5 August 2022: Deadline for oral presentation, symposia, workshops, panels and debates

18 August 2022: Deadline for posters and 5 minute challenges

August - September 2022: Notification of submission outcomes

How to submit

Please ensure you read the submission guidelines below before submitting, including the reviewer guidelines. These allow you to see how your submissions will be reviewed.

Please make your submissions via the online application portal by clicking the button below. You will need to create an account if the the first submitting. 

If you any queries about submissions please contact us at [email protected]

• Access Submission Guidelines and Submit Symposia 
• Access Submission Guidelines and Submit All Submissions except Symposia 

Registration

Early bird registration closes on 23 September 2022.

Optional Extras

These are not included in the ticket cost, but can be added when registering:

Conference Dinner - When registering you can also choose to attend the Conference Dinner, taking place on Tuesday 29th November at Swansea Bay Hotel. The cost to attend is £40 per person.

Pre Conference Workshops - When registering you can also choose to attend the Pre-Conference Workshops taking place on Monday 28th November at Swansea University.

Please note: accommodation is not included in your booking and must be booked separately.

Returning Customers (Members and non-members)

In order to register for the event, you will need to sign in using your BPS website log in details.

We have implemented a new Membership Database (CRM) recently and if you haven't received your pre-registration email please contact [email protected] to request a re-send and follow the instructions received.

Once pre-registered on the CRM use your USERNAME and PASSWORD to log in to register for the event.

Non-returning customers (Members and non-members)

If you are not a returning customer, you will need to create a free account. Once set up use your USERNAME and PASSWORD to log in to register for the event.

Joining instructions will be sent the day prior to the event, these will be sent to your BPS registered email address.

Keynote speakers

Professor Amanda Daley

Professor of Behavioural Medicine, Loughborough University

Area of research: The effects and implementation of physical activity and weight management interventions on health outcomes.

Bigger Is Not Always Better. The Psychology and Effectiveness of The Small Change Approach for Increasing Physical Activity in The Population

Participation in regular physical activity reduces the risk of morbidity and mortality.  Current physical activity guidelines are focused on weekly accumulation of at least 150 minutes of moderate-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) per week. Although revised guidance now recognises the importance of making small changes to physical activity behaviour, and that any physical activity is better than none, guidance still focuses on the public needing to achieve a behavioural goal of at least 150 minutes of MVPA per week, which can be a daunting task for inactive populations.  Guidelines themselves do not change behaviour, it is having the means and motivation to achieve them that matters. A complementary 'whole day' approach that could motivate the population to be more physically active and less sedentary, is a concept called 'Snacktivity™, which promotes small, or 'bite' size amounts of physical activity accumulated throughout the whole day.  This small change approach suggests that behaviour change, and habit formation are best achieved through gradual building of self-efficacy and celebrating small successes.  Evidence supports the hypothesis that the Snacktivity™ small change approach may be a more acceptable and effective way to help the public reach physical activity guidelines. This presentation will outline the evidence to support the small change Snacktivity™ approach, and the mechanisms by which it may increase population levels of physical activity.  There will also be discussion of the issues to consider when promoting the small change approach.

 

Dr Andrea Furst

Andrea is the founder of Mental Notes and leads a team of sport psychologists in the United Kingdom, Singapore and Australia. She is based in London and is currently the psychologist for the professional men's staff at Surrey County Cricket Club and the senior men's squad at England Rugby.

Making Psychology Matter – Personal Reflections On The Current Challenges and Future Opportunities for Sports Psychology in Elite Sport

Taking the time to reflect on my past 22 years as an applied practitioner has afforded me the opportunity to revisit the importance of having a professional yet philosophical approach as a female psychologist in elite sport. I will expand on my approach and deliver lessons learned in this keynote. There is a lot of excitement about working as a sport psychologist in elite sport and while that's warranted, there is an enormous benefit to knowing the realities of the high-pressure environments we work within and how they influence the work we do and the impact we can have. With a focus on the athlete-facing work, my personal observations and reflections on my philosophical approach, the importance of finding your own ways of working and the need to be aware of the dynamic nature of the professional sport environment will feature. Professional sport is now part of the entertainment industry and as such we have to respond accordingly in our practice.  Current challenges such as jam-packed annual calendars, social media, and multiple stakeholders will be explored through the lens of the psychological demands on the athlete and as a result the type of applied work we find ourselves engaged in. While I have no crystal ball, if I could influence the future, psychologists would be integrated into more international coaching and SSSM teams whereby psychology sits alongside the other disciplines, surrounding the athlete as the performer. More importantly, the training of sport psychologists who want to work in elite sport would include an increased focus on dealing with an everchanging landscape and the skills of adaptability and resilience. This is to ensure that more sport psychologists can have enduring, sustainable, successful careers in this dynamic industry!

 

Professor Kevin Hylton

Kevin Hylton is Professor Emeritus of Equality and Diversity at Leeds Beckett University. Kevin is Chair of the Sheffield Race Equality Commission, and his research has a particular focus on critical race studies and social justice in sport and education.

What's Not to Like..?: EDI in Theory and Practice 

The purpose of this keynote talk is to draw out how equality, diversity and inclusion have been progressively considered and included in theory, policy and practice. The presentation will clarify and examine the slippery conceptual terrain of 'EDI' that includes the myths of diversity, allyship, and performativity in implementation. Examples will be drawn from work conducted with Sport England, and the Royal Yachting Association where policymakers and practitioners have been engaged in exploring how disparities are manifest in by individuals and organisations and how they should position themselves to tackle them. In this keynote talk, I will share my experience of chairing the Sheffield Race Equality Commission and what can be learnt in terms of understanding the source and pervasiveness of systemic cross sectoral inequalities. The politics of change, institutional culture and the dangers of interest convergence has parallels for HE and the professions. I'll do this by also reflecting on my work in developing the Race Representation Index for the Sport Monitoring Advisory Panel. The talk builds on emerging themes from critical race theory (CRT) in sport and education. In particular, ideologies of meritocracy, race neutrality, and objectivity in theory and practice are examined through a pragmatic lens. 

 

Professor Stephen Mellalieu

Professor in Sport Psychology, Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University

Area of research: Stress, Coping, Wellbeing and Performance in Sport

Researching Stress in Sport: Reflections on the Past, Present and Future 

The ability to manage stress is synonymous with successful performance in sport. As one of the most researched areas within the discipline, a wealth of understanding now exists regarding the stressors faced by those operating within highly demanding sporting environments, how they view and manage these demands, and the potential impact upon performance. This talk aims to offer a personal narrative, based on my own research and practice experiences, on the development of the understanding of the concept of stress within our field, offering reflections for what the future may hold for this topic. Following a preamble on my own journey into the academic world and the topic area, I will look to discuss some of the principal developments regarding the study of stress in sport. These include how stress has been defined and conceptualised, the measurement approaches taken to describe the stress process, and the mechanisms to explain the impact of stress upon performance. I will then seek to consider some of the recent literature that has broadened our understanding of stress in sport through adopting longitudinal approaches to study the concept, exploring other stakeholders operating within high performance sporting environments, and examining the impact of stress experiences upon well-being. The talk will conclude with a candid commentary on key questions for future research such as: utilising suitable methodologies and methods to better describe and understand how stress is experienced: exploring relationships between stress, well-being and mental health; and designing effective interventions to support the individual, team, and workforce in their ability to flourish within highly demanding sporting environments.

 

DSEP 2022 Conference: Invited International Contribution: Professor Catherine Sabiston

Professor and Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity and Mental Health, Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, University of Toronto

Area of research: Physical activity and mental health - including bi-directional associations among sport and exercise contexts and mental health indicators of mental illness, flourishing, and body image/physical self.

Conquering Antiquated Approaches to Body Image in Sport and Exercise Psychology 

Research efforts have shown body image to be a critical facet of mental health in the context of sport and exercise. Yet, body image is an understudied and misunderstood construct with confluence of weight, body shape and size, appearance, and function targets. In this talk, I will present a systematic program of work comprising prospective longitudinal, experimental, and mixed methods studies showing that body image is an important mental health factor motivating, limiting, and/or preventing sport and exercise behaviours. I will also highlight that body image impacts experiences in sport and exercise; and can in turn be impacted by participation in sport and/or exercise. In this talk, I will describe multidisciplinary collaborations that have supported work on specific body image factors - including surveillance and a range of self-conscious emotions – that seem to impede motor control and learning, perceived competence, and sport and exercise performance. Additionally, I will describe the central collaborations with industry leaders in sport and exercise, community recreation programs, and with post-secondary campus leaders as well as kinesiology colleagues that allow this work to have impact. Finally, I will highlight how clinicians and researchers can help advance knowledge, expertise, and practices focused on body image for all. Throughout this presentation, it will be clear that body image is an important mental health factor within physical activity and mental health theory and practice; and advocacy, critical interpretation, and appropriate and respectful approaches to body image are needed in sport and exercise psychology. 

 

Accommodation

For this year's conference the committee has made the decision to offer the conference package without accommodation to allow the flexibility for delegates to save money by sharing rooms or staying in different local hotels where necessary.

Accommodation is therefore NOT included in your ticket to the conference, but please see some accommodation options below: 

Hotel bookings at a discounted rate can be made via our partner HotelMap, please see the available rates.

Please note the bookings are made through a third party and we recommend you check the cancellation policy at the time of booking.

The Village Hotel, Swansea
Langdon Road
Swansea
SA1 8QY

Committee members

• Rachel Arnold
• Emily Pattinson
• Alban Dickson
• Zoe Black
• Paul Morgan
• Moira Lafferty
• Darren Britton

Pre-conference workshops

The Pre-Conference Workshops are taking place on Monday 28th November at Swansea University and are free to attend.

You will need to select that you are attending when registering, as places are limited.

Monday 28 November 2022, 6-8pm - Swansea University Bay Campus (Engineering East Building)

(Max Capacity = 25/workshop)

Workshop 1:

Presenter: Dr Jonathan Katz (Consultant Psychologist. The PinM Consultancy)

Title: Okay, now that I've listened what do I do now…?

Info: There can be pressure on practitioners to 'do something' when working with clients. This pressure can come from the client, stakeholders such as coaches, managers, wider NGB organisational factors and from the practitioner themselves. This workshop reinforces the notion that 'effective listening' is doing something: building rapport, a safe 'psychological climate', gaining empathic understanding, facilitating client reflection, recruiting client's own coping resources as well as building a foundation for ongoing support.

This workshop will focus on 'the how' to achieve this by revisiting the role and function of listening within 1:1 consultations. It is suitable for individuals undertaking supervised experience, neophyte practitioners and more experienced practitioners looking to refresh these core skills.

Workshop 2:

Presenters: Professor Joanne Hudson, Dr Rachel Knight, Dr Carol Maddock, Dr Jane Mullins (Swansea University)

Title: Exercise psychology research with older adults: Issues faced and lessons learned 

Info: The proportion of older adults is increasing across the globe and although many people are living longer, many of these years are lived in poor health. Improving health and increasing physical activity in older adults is therefore paramount, as is expanding the knowledge base of how to do so, as interventions and approaches used with other age groups are not always effective for older adults. 

In this workshop we will discuss some of the key issues involved in research with older adults, including, but not limited to, recruitment, ethical considerations, co-production and working with people with dementia. Related to these issues we will discuss some contemporary research challenges, such as stereotypes of ageing and intergenerational research and interventions. We will bring our own experiences and welcome participants to share their experiences and learning to generate a collaborative learning environment.

Sponsors

Inclusive Employers 

Inclusive Employers is the first and leading membership organisation for employers who are committed to prioritising inclusion and creating truly inclusive workplaces.

Inclusive Sport is our dedicated offer for the sport and physical activity sector, supporting organisations, small and large, and at any stage in their journey to be inclusive and welcoming to all.

We support organisations to make sport and physical activity more inclusive for everyone; where volunteers, players and employees feel valued and can contribute their skills and ideas fully. Inclusive Sport members have access to consultancy, training, thought leadership, webinars and resources that support them to make inclusion an everyday reality.

Find out more about who we work with and how we can support you with your inclusion journey. [Link: https://www.inclusiveemployers.co.uk/sport/]