Liz Partington

Biography

Liz completed an undergraduate degree in Psychology at Stirling University and then went on to complete her Masters in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Exeter University. HLS Elizabeth Partington Staffprofile 255 Liz remained at Exeter and completed her PhD under the supervision of Professor Andrew Sparkes. Liz has lectured at Northumbria University since 2001 and during that time has occupied several leadership roles, including programme leadership at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, and more recently Director of Programmes (Sport and Exercise Sciences) within the Department of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation. She is currently the Director of Student Satisfaction and Engagement for the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences. Liz is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Authority (HEA). Liz is a chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist and is on the Health and Care Professions Council Register (Practitioner Psychologist). She is a member of the British Psychological Society (BPS) including their Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology (DSEP). She is also a member of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Scientists (BASES) and the Young people and Alcohol Research Network (YARN). Liz has acted as a sport psychology consultant with a range of clients including England Badminton, the English Institute of Sport and Newcastle Falcons Rugby Club. She co-wrote the psychology curriculum for England Badminton’s long-term athlete development programme, and used to co-write a regular sport psychology column in ‘Badminton Magazine,’ an England Badminton nationally distributed publication. Liz has also contributed text book chapters on applied sport psychology.

Research Interest

Liz’s research interests are within the field of athlete mental health and well-being, with a particular focus on the role played by athletic identity in determining athlete well-being. Liz is a member of a multidisciplinary research team that is working to further the knowledge base surrounding the recognition, management and treatment of mental health in athletic populations and to support the creation of an effective model of mental health service delivery in elite sport. Liz has specific research expertise in narrative and narrative analysis and has applied this research approach within her work on athletic identity. Liz has recently developed a strand of research around harmful and hazardous drinking in student and student athlete populations. Although the majority of the work to date is focussed upon athletic populations there is potential application of the work to other populations. Liz has already been involved in research projects relating to mental health and well-being in firefighters, and anticipates further work with populations such as the military and police.