Melissa Day

Melissa Day is a Reader in Qualitative Sport Psychology at the University of Chichester, where she serves as Programme Coordinator for the BSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology. BASES accredited and HCPC registered, she teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate programs while supervising multiple PhD students. Her academic work bridges theoretical sport psychology with practical applications in athletic performance, injury recovery, and disability sport contexts.

Dr. Day's educational background includes a BSc (Hons) in Sport and Exercise Science from St Mary's University College (2003), an MSc in Sport and Exercise Science (Psychology pathway) from University College Chichester (2004), and a PhD on 'The underlying properties of stress' from the University of Wales (2007).

Her research program centers on stress, appraisal, and coping mechanisms in sport contexts, with particular focus on trauma, disability, and injury experiences. Dr. Day has pioneered qualitative approaches to understanding vicarious trauma in sports, particularly examining how witnessing athletic injuries affects coaches and support staff. Her work on posttraumatic growth among Paralympic athletes has established important connections between sport participation and psychological adaptation following disability. She has also made significant contributions to understanding chronic pain in sport through innovative narrative methodologies, including her 'letter to my younger self' approach.

Analysis of Dr. Day's recent publications reveals a strong trajectory toward knowledge translation in sport psychology, with increasing focus on practical applications of research findings. Her work has evolved from foundational studies on stress appraisal to contemporary research examining digital platforms for physical activity, esports physiology, and innovative narrative methods for translating research into practice. The interdisciplinary nature of her work is evident in collaborations spanning psychology, rehabilitation science, coaching education, and sports management.

• BASES accredited sport and exercise scientist
• HCPC registered practitioner psychologist
• Editorial board member for Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health
• Regular journal reviewer for multiple high-impact sport psychology publications

Dr. Day actively supervises doctoral research, currently guiding three PhD students including Laura Shafe (researching vicarious trauma in sport) and Kim Humphries (examining psychological responses to injury onset). Her teaching portfolio includes undergraduate modules on interpersonal skills, psychology of training and competition, and psychology of injury and rehabilitation. She also serves as an external examiner for programs at other institutions and regularly contributes to academic conferences as both presenter and organizer.