Professor Caroline Wakefield

Job Title: HEAD OF THE SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY
Department: Psychology
Extension: 0151 291 3715
Email: wakefic@hope.ac.uk

I received my first degree from the University of Liverpool in 2003. Following this, I studied for a Postgraduate Certificate in Education at (what was then known as) University College Chester, focussing specifically on Physical Education. Continuing in academia, I was then awarded a PhD from the University of Liverpool in 2007, entitled 'The effect of PETTLEP-based imagery interventions on motor performance'. The work stemming from this PhD has been published in internationally peer-reviewed journals. Since joining Liverpool Hope, I have also successfully completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education. I am a Chartered Psychologist (BPS) and registered with the Health and Care Professions Council.

My major research interest focuses on the use of imagery in improving the performance of sport skills, specifically that relating to the PETTLEP model of motor imagery. I also have an ongoing interest in research areas such as body image, the psychology of weight loss, and exercise dependence. I have presented my work at a number of major sport psychology conferences, including those held by the International Society of Sport Psychology, European College of Sport Sciences, Association for Applied Sport Psychology, and the British Psychological Society. I also serve as a reviewer on behalf of several sport psychology journals, including The Sport Psychologist and International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Following my PhD, I have held positions teaching sport and exercise psychology at the University of Chester and the University of Lincoln. I have also worked as a visiting lecturer at the University of Bolton and Manchester Metropolitan University. I joined Liverpool Hope University in September 2009.