Winchester academic gives talk on balancing identities in sports

Jo Batey, from the University of Winchester, worked with Sarah Murray to address the issue in a talk for the British Psychological Society.

The workshop was called “Navigating Critical Moments in Applied Practice”.

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Dr Jo Batey (Image: The University of Winchester)Their session, at the Society’s Division of Sport, and Exercise Psychology conference in Edinburgh, looked at how a person’s value and beliefs can be challenged in the world of sport where there is huge pressure to conform.

Sarah is a full-time applied sport psychologist having worked across various performance environments including nine years full-time at a premier league football club. She runs her own business with clients including Ireland Football, England Rugby, the Premier League, the English Cricket Board and performance consultancy Mindflick.

Meanwhile, Dr Batey has worked with the GB archery squad, the Royal Navy rugby team, the British Armed Forces Mountaineering team and national league hockey sides as well as various football academies. She has also worked with individual performers across numerous sports.

Dr Batey, a senior fellow in knowledge exchange (sport and exercise psychology) at the University of Winchester, said: “The workshop was well attended and received excellent feedback from delegates.”

She said that the workshop, part-funded by the University of Winchester Sport and Exercise Research Centre, was a great opportunity for Sarah and herself to share their knowledge with practitioners at all stages of their careers.

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Dr Batey continued: “Sharing challenging moments from practice enables others to feel less alone when they have to navigate unfamiliar and difficult situations.

“It also provides a lens through which we might better reflect on the role of self in service delivery and how sport psychologists are impacted by performance environments.”

The workshop content will form part of book due to come out in 2024. Professional Skills in Sport Psychology Consultancy: Personal and Interpersonal Dynamics is co-edited by two colleagues at the University of Winchester, Dr Brian Hemmings and Dr Tim Holder, and Stacy Winter from St Mary’s University.