About
I am a Senior Lecturer in Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology and an HCPC-registered Sport and Exercise Psychologist. I am passionate about all aspects of being a psychologist, as a lecturer, researcher and practitioner, and I see each of these roles informing the others.
Alongside my teaching, I am the sport psychology lead for Team Derby and TASS at the University of Derby. I am also a member of the Integrity Advisory Group with CASES. As a practitioner, I work with performers from all kinds of performance environments, helping them understand and manage the psychological demands of performing when it matters.
My research has two main strands. The first is performance under pressure, particularly choking and the yips, across all performance contexts. The second is mental health help-seeking behaviours in high-performance spaces.
Research interests
My research has two connected strands, both shaped by my work as a practitioner.
The first is performance under pressure. I am interested in why performers sometimes fall short when it matters most, particularly through choking and the yips. This includes the psychological predictors and mechanisms involved, such as personality, as well as how performers experience pressure, how it builds, and how they manage it. Much of this work began in sport, but my interest extends to performance under pressure in all performance contexts. My published and ongoing work spans athletes and performers across multiple performance domains.
The second is mental health help-seeking behaviours in high-performance spaces. I am interested in what encourages or discourages performers from seeking support, and how the culture and norms of high-performance environments shape those decisions. My work in this area has focused on professional rugby union.
Recent publications
Aberdeen, I., & Clarke, P. (2026). Elite athletes’ perceptions of psychological pressure during the laser run element of modern pentathlon: A qualitative analysis. Journal of Applied Sports Sciences, 10(1), 24–37. https://doi.org/10.37393/jass.2026.10.01.3
Dempsey, R. C., Clarke, P., & Lyons, D. (2026). Using the social norms approach in high-performance settings: A case study of the 5Rs of Rugby mental health literacy intervention with professional rugby union players in Ireland. In [Eds.], Research Handbook on Social Norms (pp. 240–255). Edward Elgar. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035331321.00026
Lyons, D., Clarke, P., Smyth, M., Burrows, E., Gilpin, P., Horan, M., McCormack, H., & Dempsey, R. (2025). The “5Rs of Rugby”: A reflective case study on the reality of implementing a mental health literacy and social norms intervention with professional rugby players. Case Studies in Sport and Performance Psychology, 9(2), 70–77. https://doi.org/10.1123/csspp.2024-0023
Lyons, D., Clarke, P., & Dempsey, R.C. (2023). Tackle Your feelings: Experience of help seeking for mental wellbeing concerns in Professional Rugby Union Players. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1123/jcsp.2022-0014
Tomaszewska-Collins, W., & Clarke, P. (2022). A qualitative exploration of choking under pressure in commercial airline pilots: a phenomenological approach. Aviation Psychology and Applied Human Factors, 12(1), 12-20. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1027/2192-0923/a000219
Verner, D., Chandler, C., & Clarke, P. (2021). Exploring the contribution of personal qualities to the personal and professional development of trainee sport psychology practitioners within the individuation process. Physical Culture and Sport. Studies and Research. DOI: 10.2478/pcssr-2021-0024
Fido, D., Rees, A., Clarke, P. Petronzi, D., & Richardson, M. (2020). Examining the connection between nature connectedness and dark personality. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 72.
Clarke, P., Sheffield, D., & Akehurst, S. (2020). Personality predictors of Yips and Choking susceptibility. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2784.
O’Neill, E., Clarke, P., Fido, D., Vione, K. (2020) The role of future time perspective, body awareness and social connectedness in the relationship between self-efficacy and resilience. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.
McGill, P., Clarke. P., & Sheffield, D. (2019). From “blind elation” to “oh my god, what have I gotten into”. Exploring the experience of executive coaching during leadership transitions into C-Suite roles. International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, 17 (1), 3-18.
Clarke, P., Sheffield, D., & Akehurst, S. (2015). The Yips in Sport: A systematic Review. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 8 (1), 156-184.
Membership of professional bodies
The Higher Education Academy
Chartered Association of Sport and Exercise Science
- Professional Member
- Accredited Sport and Exercise Scientist (Psychology)
- Accredited Practitioner Supervisor
- Member of the Integrity Advisory Group
British Psychological Society
- Associate Fellow – 2023
- Chartered Psychologist – 2018
Health and Care Professions Council
- Sport and Exercise Psychologist (PYL040773)
Experience in industry
I am currently the sport psychology lead for Team Derby and the TASS sport psychologist at the University of Derby. I am also a consultant with Archery GB.
Alongside these roles, I have worked as an applied practitioner across nearly all performance domains, from individual and team sports to business, leadership and high pressure performance environments.
Previously, I was the sport psychology lead for the Derbyshire Institute of Sport
I regularly contribute to local, national and international media, including radio, newspapers, TV and podcasts. I am happy to comment on topics including performing under pressure, choking and the yips, mental health and help-seeking in sport and other high-performance settings, and the psychology of major sporting events.
Teaching responsibilities
I lead and teach on Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology modules across both online and on-campus programmes, from undergraduate to doctoral level. I supervise student research projects from BSc through to PhD, and I contribute to teaching on professional practice, including what it means to work as an applied psychologist.
As an accredited practitioner supervisor, I also support trainee sport and exercise psychologists on their route to professional registration.
-(1).jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)