An Exploration of Organisational Thriving in Elite Sport

: From Research to Practice

Abstract

This thesis provides an account of a trainee sport and exercise psychologist’s portfolio as a student on the Professional Doctorate (ProfDoc) in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University of Portsmouth from October 2020 to July 2025. Within the thesis, evidence is provided of the trainee’s consultancy, research, continued professional development, and reflective practice in meeting the required competencies and standards outlined by the Health and Care Professional Council for approved programmes in sport and exercise psychology.
The research and professional development reflections offer a commentary of the trainee’s journey and development as both a person and professional as they managed their way through the ProfDoc. Two empirical papers highlight the trainee’s research activity, qualitatively exploring the characteristics of organisational thriving before conducting an ethnography to further explore organisational thriving within an elite sport organisation; both studies were conducted with the intention of providing evidence-based knowledge for how organisational thriving may be impacted within elite sport. Next, applied practice reflections show the trainee’s experiences as an applied practitioner in training, where they provided psychological support to a diverse population of individuals, groups, and organisations. These reflections are followed by four consultancy case studies which show how, through time, the trainee developed a congruent practice philosophy embedded in a pluralistic and person-centred approach. These experiences demonstrate the diverse ways in which the trainee provided psychological support through different practice models. Following a reflective epilogue which explores key moments and reflections throughout the ProfDoc, this thesis concludes with the trainee’s research, practice, and continued professional development logs, providing evidence over the past five years to the trainee’s experiences towards their development as a scientist-practitioner.

Date of Award	1 Apr 2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Portsmouth
Supervisor	Daniel Brown (Supervisor), Chris Wagstaff (Supervisor) & Alessandro Quartiroli (Supervisor)