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Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology

Contact Details

Office: N330 Telephone: +44 (0) 1243 816322 Fax: +44 (0) 1243 816080 Email: M.Day@chi.ac.uk

 

Personal Introduction

Melissa is a senior lecturer in sport and exercise psychology and has been working at the university since July 2007. Prior to this she spent three years on a full time PhD scholarship at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, where she completed her PhD on stress, appraisals and coping in competitive sport. She is also a BASES probationary sport psychologist and is in her second year of the accreditation process.

Education

BSc (Hons) in Sport and Exercise Science (St Mary’s University College, 2003)

MSc (with distinction) in Sport Science: Psychology Routeway (University College Chichester, 2004)

PhD in 'Stress, Appraisal, and Coping' (University of Wales, Aberystwyth, 2008)

Teaching

For the current academic year, Mel will be responsible for the following modules:

Interpersonal Skills

Communicating and interacting with others is a natural occurrence in everyday life. In both psychology and sport and exercise psychology these skills are essential and require person to person interaction and development of sound working relationships. The aim of this module is to provide a basis to explore the nature of communication and interpersonal skills. 

Psychology of Training and Competition

One of the fundamental concerns of sports psychologists and coaches is enabling an athlete to perform to their potential when training and competing. In order to do this sport scientists and coaches must understand the psychological pressures that are inherent in training and competition and the potential consequences of these pressures. This module will seek to develop the student’s understanding of the psychological demands of training and performance and seek to explore ways in which these demands can be managed, regulated and controlled.

Psychology of Injury and Rehabilitation

This module aims to enable students to explore the social and psychological factors in injury risk, theories of psychological reactions and responses of sports participants to injury, and psychological factors that impact on recovery from injury and adherence to rehabilitation programmes. It will critically evaluate theory and research, and consider practical approaches to working with athletes to assist them with their response to and rehabilitation from injury experiences.

 

Administration

Mel is the programme coordinator for BSc(Hons) Sport and Exercise Psychology

External Examining:

I have been involved in the revalidation process of undergraduate degrees as an external panel member at Liverpool Hope University (2010). 

Research and Consultancy

Mel has research interests in the following areas:

• Stress, appraisal and coping
• Skill disruption
• Qualitative methods

 

Consultancy:

I am a BASES Accredited Sport and Exercise Scientist with a variety of consultancy experiences, particularly in gymnastics and trampolining.

Membership

British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (Member of the Editorial board of the Sport and Exercise Scientist)

European College of Sport Sciences (ECSS)

Research Grant Income

• £1000 British Psychological Society grant to present and convene a symposium on ‘Coping in Adverse and Extreme Environments’ at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference (2010).
• £10,000 - Richard Benjamin Trust for research project entitled “The Paralympic Journey from Trauma to Triumph: The Personal and Environmental Factors That Facilitate Coping Through Meaning Making”

 

Publications

Day, M. C., Thatcher, J., Greenlees, I., & Woods, B. (2006). The Causes of and psychological responses to lost move syndrome in national level trampolinists. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 18, 151-166.

Thatcher, J., Kerr, J., Amies, K., & Day, M. C. (2007). Mapping changes in psychological responses during sports injury rehabilitation. Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, 16, 343-362.  

Thatcher, J., & Day, M. C. (2008). Re-appraising stress appraisals: The underlying properties of stress in sport. Psychology of Sport and Exercise. 9(3), 318-335. 

Day, M. & Thatcher, J. (2009) “I’m really embarrassed that I’m telling you this but…” Reflections on using qualitative diaries in research. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 6, 249-259.  

Dolleans, R., Hauw, D., Day, M., & Saramejane, P.  (2011). Psychological processes involved during acrobatic performance: a review. Sport Science: International Scientific Journal of Kinesiology,1, 19-29.  

Day, M. C., Bond, K., & Smith, B. (in review) Holding it together: Coping with vicarious trauma in sport. Psychology of Sport and Exercise.

 

 

Presentations

Day, M., Thatcher, J., Greenlees, I., & Woods, B. (2004). The causes of and psychological responses to lost move syndrome. The British Psychological Society Annual Conference Proceedings, 12 (2), 167.

Thatcher, J., Kerr, J., Amies, K. & Day, M. (2005). The ups and downs of athletic Injury: a reversal theory interpretation of psychological and emotional responses. Poster presented at the 2nd All Wales Sport and Exercise Science and Medicine Conference. Cardiff University.

Day, M. & Thatcher, J. (2006). Re-appraising stress appraisals: The underlying properties of stress in sport. Poster presented at the 3rd All Wales Sport and Exercise Science and Medicine Conference. University of Wales, Institute Cardiff.

Thatcher, J., & Day, M. (2007) Stress appraisals in elite sport competitors. Symposium on Stress, Appraisal and Coping at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference.  York.

Day, M. & Thatcher, J. (2007). Underlying properties of stress in sport: appraisal patterns and emotions.  Paper presented at the European College of Sport Science, Jyvaskyla, Finland.

Day, M. (2007) I’m so embarrassed that you’re going to read this but…” Reflections on using qualitative diaries in sport psychology research. Paper presented at the Psypag Annual Conference, London.

Day, M. & Thatcher, J. (2008). Coping with stress in sport: An alternative approach. Paper presented

at the European College of Sport Science, Estoril, Portugal.

Day, M. (2009). Coping with stress in sport: An Olympian task. Presented at the British Psychological Society Psychology for All event. London.

Thatcher, J., & Day, M. (2009). Reinterpreting competitive stressors with a reversal theory framed expressive writing intervention. Poster presented at the European College of Sport Science, Norway.

Day, M. & Thatcher, J. (2009).  “I’m really embarrassed that I’m telling you this but…” using qualitative diaries in research. Paper presented at the 3rd International Conference for Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise. Roehampton

Day, M. (2010). Vicarious Trauma in Sport. Presented at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference, Stratford upon Avon.

Books

Thatcher, J., Thatcher, R., Day, M. C., Portas, M., & Hood, S. (2009). Sport and Exercise Science. Exeter: Learning Matters.

Thatcher, J., Day, M.C., & Rahman, R. (2011). Sport and Exercise Psychology. Exeter: Learning Matters. 

Day, M. C., (2012). Coping with trauma in sport. In J. Thatcher, M. Jones, & D. Lavallee (Eds). Coping and emotion in sport. London: Routledge.

 

Articles

Day, M. (2005). The Digest. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 27(1), 126-129.

Day, M. (2005). Graduate programmes in applied sport psychology. Sport and Exercise Psychology Review, 1(2), 43-45.

Day, M. (2007). Reflections from the psychology of golf workshop. Sport and Exercise Psychology Review, 3(2), 66-68.

Day, M. (2009). Clearing the final hurdle: The PhD viva. Sport and Exercise Psychology Review, 5(2), 54-56.