Staff Profile

I'm currently a Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Newcastle University, in the School of Biomedical, Nutritional and Sports Sciences. I am passionate about sport, and enjoy playing, discussing, and watching a number of different sports, including football, cycling, running, and golf. My research interests predominantly involve the role of social support, in a performance and psychological wellbeing context, following on from my PhD completed at the University of Exeter, in 2015. I subsequently went on to be a Visiting Lecturer at Roehampton University, where I led MSc modules in Sport and Exercise Psychology. Between 2015 - 2018, I was employed as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Lincoln, which involved, leading undergraduate and postgraduate modules, and being the Research Impact Champion for the School of Sport and Exercise Science, a PhD Supervisor, and the acting lead for the MTough research group.

Some of my aims are to (i) provide high quality, student engaged teaching, to Sport and Exercise Science students, (ii) lead, and contribute to, high quality research projects, resulting in peer reviewed publications, (iii) supervise high quality research projects at undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral level, (iv) engage in applied work with athletes, and organisations, to disseminate contemporary research ideas.

Ph.D.- Sport Psychology. Exeter University, 2015.

M.Sc.- Sport and Exercise Psychology, Northumbria University, 2009

P.G. Dip.- Psychology, Sheffield Hallam University, 2008

B.Sc. (Hons)- Geography and Sport Science, Northumbria University, 2007

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Newcastle University, 2024

My research interests predominantly involve the role of social support, in a performance and psychological wellbeing context. My PhD, completed at the University of Exeter, examined the antecedents and performance outcomes of social support, applying generalisability theory.

My recent research has involved leading social support and goal setting workshops for patients with heart failure, as part of the BeActive-HF research group.

Some of my previous research has examined how social support relates to psychological wellbeing for emergency service employees, with initial research evaluating current levels of support, stressors, and psychological wellbeing. Building upon this work, and working with colleagues, my plans are to develop psychosocial interventions to help improve social support provision and enhance psychological wellbeing.

Some of my future plans involve looking at these relationships in an athlete and student cohort, as well as continuing research with the BeActive-HF research group.

I have published research in peer reviewed leading journals, including examining the antecedents of perceived support from coaches; challenge and threat states under pressurised competition; and evaluating the role of lay health trainers. 

I lead modules for Stage One and Two students on the Sport and Exercise Science (SES) programme. I am the Senior Tutor and the Study Abroad lead for SES.

Module Lead:

SES1005- Introduction to Sport and Exercise Psychology

SES2003- Research Methods in Sport and Exercise Science

I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

I am currently an external examiner for York St John University

• Articles

  • Peeters WM, Coussens AH, Spears I, Jeffries O. Training, environmental and nutritional practices in indoor cycling: an explorative cross-sectional questionnaire analysis. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living 2024, 6, 1433368.
  • Jackman PC, Clay G, Coussens AH, Bird MD, Henderson H. 'We are fighting a tide that keeps coming against us': A mixed method exploration of stressors in an English county police force. Police Practice and Research 2021, 22(1), 370-388.
  • Jackman PC, Henderson H, Clay G, Coussens AH. The relationship between psychological wellbeing, social support, and personality in an English police force. International Journal of Police Science and Management 2020, 22(2), 183-193.
  • Jeffries O, Evans DT, Waldron M, Coussens A, Patterson SD. Seven-day ischaemic preconditioning improves muscle efficiency during cycling. Journal of Sports Sciences 2019, 37(24), 2798-2805.
  • Williams R, Middleton G, Allen-Collinson J, Kane R, Coussens AH. The occupational role of the lay health trainer in England: a review of practice. Universal Journal of Public Health 2016, 4(4), 218-224.
  • Coussens AH, Rees T, Freeman P. Applying Generalizability Theory to Examine the Antecedents of Perceived Coach Support. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology 2015, 37(1), 51-62.
  • Moore LJ, Wilson MR, Vine SJ, Coussens AH, Freeman P. Champ or chump? Challenge and threat states during pressurized competition. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology 2013, 35(6), 551-562.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstract)

  • Points A, Hooper A, Donachie T, Coussens A, Stone M. University team sport athletes' perceptions and experiences of warm-ups. In: 17th European Congress of Sport and Exercise Psychology. 2024, Innsbruck, Austria: European Federation of Sport Psychology (FEPSAC).