Sarah Partington

Sarah Partington is an Associate Professor at Northumbria University, affiliated with the Sport Exercise and Rehabilitation Department. She has lectured in Sport and Exercise Psychology since 2001 and held leadership roles including Director of Programmes and Head of Department.

• Education: PhD in Sports Science (awarded 30 Jun 2001).

Sarah specializes in Cultural Sport Psychology, using narrative approaches to study how athletes construct identities and health behaviors through culturally available stories. Her work focuses on athlete mental health, particularly the alcohol-sport nexus, and the decolonisation of problematic cultural narratives to support behavioral change.

Her recent research includes longitudinal studies on student-athlete drinking patterns, narrative inquiry into women athletes' identity negotiations, and collaborations on exercise referral schemes and psychophysiological stress responses. She also contributed to a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (Innovate UK, 2019-2021) to design an athlete mental health monitoring app.

Notable scientific awards include:

• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA)
• ILM Level 5 Accredited Coach
• Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist
• HCPC Practitioner Psychologist registration
• BPS DSEP membership

As a consultant, she has worked with England Badminton, England Athletics, and professional rugby teams. Her narrative psychology framework bridges identity studies, mental health, and behavioral interventions in sports contexts.