Pleased to see the @bpsofficial.bsky.social campaign around psychological support for academy footballers in Scotland getting out there. Grateful I could contribute, and for the story to be picked up by the Daily Record alongside @stir.ac.uk. www.stir.ac.uk/news/2025/se...

Interesting listen on BBC Radio 4 this morning on AI therapy. From the Rogerian Eliza program of the 1960s to taking a critical interpretation of today's chatbots. There may be safety in the anonymity, but what if we only hear what we want to hear? #AllInTheMind

Released academy footballers need more mental health support. Many struggle to transition to life beyond the club. That's why we've teamed up with Dominic Ball, to call for mandated psychological support for when academy players are released. 👉 www.bps.org.uk/news/release...

ICYMI: @richsimpson95.bsky.social, Clara Swedlund, and I pop up in the latest edition of @psychmag.bsky.social. where we talk about the December Sport & Exercise Psychology conference. (Even better, elsewhere @dr-peter-olusoga.bsky.social features in a piece about creativity and communication)

Today I discovered last minute that @octopus.energy ran their free energy hour in the afternoon. Unfortunately it coincided with my son's pre-planned birthday party. On the plus side, the memories of simultaneous washing, drying, charging, and grass-cutting will undoubtedly last a lifetime.

Grateful to be flanked by this encouraging group who steered me into/through my PhD viva yesterday. Very appreciative to my supervisors and assessors, alongside the Sport & Exercise Psychology community, for facilitating this journey! Now back to reviewing abstracts for the DSEP 2025 conference!

Privileged to be interviewed alongside my wonderful @bps-dsep.bsky.social colleagues in @psychmag.bsky.social as we discuss the future of Sport Psychology and the DSEP Conference taking place this December!

Abstract submission remains open for #DSEP2025. Join us in Leeds on the 2nd & 3rd December, and share your research or applied experience! www.bps.org.uk/event/divisi...

As the #TallShips in Aberdeen comes to an end, I'm reminded of the time a friend and I visited Bergen when it was hosting. In a surreal moment, while attending a Brann football game, we were even introduced to the city's mayor! Some years later she didn't share this reminiscence...

The tragedy of a 28-year old losing their life is a stark reminder and time for perspective. Footballers are people, and this will be devastating for entire families. It will have a huge impact upon the staff who they developed relationships with, throughout their career. Thoughts with them too.

Good article on an #ACT intervention for well-being in sport: 🕸️ 6-session protocol, detailing exercises used 📊 Examples of sport specific ACT measures 🗣️ Good adherence and participant recommendations ⭐ The study showed good outcomes for improving well-being & reducing stress doi.org/10.1080/1041...

Renewed my membership with the Association for Contextual Behavioural Science (ACBS). A great and recommended directory of ACT/RFT resources and networks. You can check out the UK chapter here: www.acbsukandireland.com

🚨 DSEP 2025 Abstract Submissions and Registration is now LIVE 🚨 @bps-dsep.bsky.social www.linkedin.com/posts/dr-ric...

Day 2 of #WCSS2025 and plenty more excellent presentations and new connections. Highlights include supporting female match officials, recording non-verbal behaviour, and team-level interventions. Looking forward to the KNVB workshop later this afternoon.

Really cool series of posts from @dralexoliver.bsky.social (who needs generative AI when you can combine your standard grade art with a whiteboard! 😉)

Another productive @bps-dsep.bsky.social committee meeting today, plenty of new opportunities and innovations on the horizon. Anyone invested in S&E Psychology, keep an eye out on news and developments - and always get involved if you can!

Looking ahead to the #WCSS2025 programme next month. Plenty of great speakers across the psychology sessions. Will also be a good learning experience dipping into other blocks on coaching, Talent ID, and more! wcss2025.com/programme/

No other regime could repeatedly demonstrate such barbarity to human life, where every strike meets a “yes, but” justification. These atrocities are marking not only the end of a people, but of international humanitarian community and law. Boycott/sanction/protest; just end the weaponisation of aid.

Some great pieces contributed by some great people.

📢 CALL FOR STUDENT VOLUNTEERS 📢 We are looking for 4x student volunteers to support DSEP 2025 👀👌 🗓 Please e-mail a cover letter and CV to [email protected] by Friday the 30th of May. @bps-dsep.bsky.social

How can psychology support match officials? 🏅Frameworks building self-confidence & preparation can help decision-making (Samuel, '15) 💡Like all performers, match officials can find optimal performance in flow (or clutch) states (Swann et al. '17) 🔬 Deployment of mental skills (Mathers & Brodie '11)

Great to see such ambition for youth development at @stirlingalbionfc.bsky.social, especially with the inclusion of sport science and sport psychology ⚽ Valuable insight from the excellent @dralexoliver.bsky.social about his role in this update 👇 stirlingalbionfc.co.uk/club-stateme...

Looking forward to attending the World Congress on Science and Soccer when it comes to Scotland this June! I'll be presenting on my research in: 💻Using hybrid learning principles... 💡To support the psychosocial development... ⚽In young soccer players. Find out more about WCSS here: wcss2025.com

"...just because a ‘successful’ coach uses a specific behaviour/practice type frequently, or coaches in a particular ‘style’ or manner, does not mean that it will be applicable or effective for another coach in a different context" (Cushion, Ford, & Williams, 2012) Same for sport psych in soccer!

Concussions in sport have psychological effects; changes in mood, sleep, behaviours (e.g. avoidance or withdrawal) - (Bloom et al. 2022). ACT may offer a valuable approach (Faulkner et al., 2025): 👐Acceptance of symptoms ↔️Defusion from unwanted emotions 😌Value-led actions during the return to play

Home advantage is fascinating in the modern game. Psychologically, a self-perpetuating phenomenon observed since the 1880s? Components could include crowd size, density, travel, altitude, even "the recent occurrence of a civil war and the Corruption Perception Index"! www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

Whether you are interested in "psychology" as such, The Psychologist magazine regularly shares plenty of interesting articles, often reflecting current affairs or topics of significance, so it is well worth a follow!

Looking forward to a good conversation! Final calls 👇 Open Meeting: Well-Being in Sport, Performance, and Exercise Research Group (Monday 17th 7pm). Please e-mail r.simpson@leedstrinity for the link and share with any networks you think would be interested and would like to join!

Another day, another job advert in football for a p̴s̴y̴c̴h̴o̴l̴o̴g̴i̴s̴t̴ sorry, "Human Performance Coach". A role to present on: "specific topics linked to the psychological... framework", "safeguarding", "health", and "whole-being"... This is a sport psychologist, and demands the appropriate training!

ICYMI ➡️ We're Hiring | 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 📲 heartsfc.co.uk/blogs/news/w... ▪️ Apply by February 14th

Listen to Emma Hunter describe @thejamtarts.bsky.social set-up for the girls academy: 🏃‍♀️ Shaping a programme for girls (not making a carbon copy) 📚 Encouraging education ⚖️ Balancing challenge with support www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

The origins of key psychological research are often nested in historical or social context. Valuable insights don't come out of thin air, but arrive to help us make sense of the world. Regrettably, there remains much dehumanisation today for psychology to comprehend. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

The resignation of Stuart Kettlewell (Motherwell manager with 41.3% wins) over personal abuse compounds the intense criticism directed towards referees. We applaud mental health campaigns in #football, but such roles remain a faceless "perfect vessel" for abuse. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

"It’s not fun at all... it’s tough on the old mental health, tough on my family and my friends to see me in a bad mood all the time." Honest account from Callum Patterson on the experience of not playing regular football, and how easily the effects can spill into personal lives.

In trying to make sense of modern politics, I've found it important to return to the origins of social psychology. And a bit of Marxism: "Well, who ya gonna believe? Me or your own eyes?" - Chico Marx (1933)

Valuable listening in @aksumfootball.bsky.social 's appearance on The Mind Room podcast. 🎞️Use of video to highlight desirable/successful behaviours and bring about change ⚽Importance of diversity in a coaching staff; experience, background, education etc.

Good podcast (especially for coaches) on psychosocial development in football. "People don't often get released from academies because they can't play football... they are absolutely excellent players... The differences are the psychosocial things" - Tom Mitchell open.substack.com/pub/themindr...

LA burns and the creator of Mulholland Drive passes.

Pleasant surprise to catch some @brownbearofficial.bsky.social on Radio Scotland this afternoon!

#Hogmanay is always an excuse to draw out the memories of playing my favourite show... 🕷️ 25 years since the millenium bug 🏰 12 years since playing at #Stirling Castle 💿 10 years since releasing this album So here's a track I wrote about being of that Y2K generation. open.spotify.com/track/0qnEcq...

Merry Christmas, God Jul, Wesołych Świąt. For those with children, may you successfully source all the batteries you require on this day.

🎵 He's making a list 🎶 He's checking it twice 🎵 He's going to find out ...which journals haven't rejected him yet. I've appreciated reading many honest year-end posts from colleagues across the Sport & Exercise Psychology community, so it's only right I add mine! We'll get there though...

Wrapped up a year of #ACT workshops with David Price this week - already planning sessions for 2025! Some reflections picked up along the way: 🙌 Experiential exercises may resonate well with athletes 🪢 Metaphor can help safely explore complex topics/relationships 📑 Keep case formulation fluid

Happy birthday football!🎂 200 years ago today, on 11 December 1824, the world's first football club was founded in Edinburgh. The players hired a field, bought a ball, set up goalposts and continued to play regularly for almost two decades.

The @bps-dsep.bsky.social are advertising a voluntary social media and communications role. As a previous post-holder, happy to discuss further! Benefits: 🖇️Connect with colleagues across the UK 🌟Champion our discipline 📡Great dissemination experience (e.g. for QSEP) www.bps.org.uk/news/volunte...

What's "defusion" about anyway? Cognitive fusion is when we become stuck (fused) to our thoughts or feelings, believing them and acting in accordance (e.g. "I'll not succeed in this game so why try?") #Defusion is about creating distance, seeing thoughts as thoughts & liberating our actions. #ACT

Insightful piece by (trainee sport psychologist) @djwheeler7.bsky.social. When players express and act in line with their values, who is to say they can't also perform at the highest level? With peace of mind, integrity, and clarity, a successful career in sport may follow.

In addition to learning from many excellent presentations, I shared part of my research at @bps-dsep.bsky.social: 🖥️Hybrid learning may help support development, 📚Create a library of accessible content that learners can interact with, 🤝Encourage collaboration between, but also autonomy in, learners.

Contemporary take of the obligatory airport pint, but with a conference vibe. Outstanding couple of days, huge credit to @ciaranjkearney.bsky.social and the organising committee for all their hard work behind #DSEP2024 @bps-dsep.bsky.social

Excellent keynote from Dr. Paul Gaffney closing @bps-dsep.bsky.social day 1, reflecting on his career and supporting athletes at Paris 2024. ⛰️ Like ascending Everest, coming back is the hardest part of the journey ⚽ Sport is the ultimate intervention #DSEP2024