Liz is a cultural sport psychologist with a particular focus upon understanding athletes’ cultural identity through the lens of narrative inquiry. In her PhD, Liz used narrative approaches to explore the identity dilemmas and negotiations experienced by athletes following a significant sporting injury. More recently, Liz’s interests have broadened to include wider areas of athlete mental health and wellbeing. Current projects include the use of narrative approaches to understand and intervene with problematic student-athlete drinking, and exploration of the conceptualisation of mental health and mental illness within elite sport.

Liz has lectured in sport psychology at Northumbria University since 2001. During that time, she has occupied several leadership roles, including Director of Programmes, Faculty Director of Student Satisfaction and Engagement and she is currently the Department’s Director of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion. Liz is also a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA).

Liz is a chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist and is on the Health and Care Professions Council Register (Practitioner Psychologist). She has provided sport psychology consultancy for a variety of sports, most notably for England Badminton, the English Institute of Sport, England Athletics and within professional rugby.  She is a member of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology.

Liz’s research expertise is in narrative psychology. In particular, she is interested in the use narrative approaches to understanding athletic identity and athlete wellbeing.