PY0756 - Exercise Psychology

On this module you will experience an interactive workshop style of teaching. This approach involves a diverse range of learning activities including brief lecture style presentations, quizzes, discussion groups, video and real-world case studies, student led tasks and practical workshops and think tanks.

During taught sessions you will actively engage with key literature and will be encouraged to debate and critique the findings of the latest studies in the field. You will have the opportunity to try out selected exercise promotion strategies on your peers. Verbal feedback will be given by the tutor and by your peer group, and you will also be asked to critically reflect upon your own performance. Client case studies will be utilised in class to enable you to practice designing appropriate exercise promotion strategies and to gain feedback on your programme design. Each student will receive input from their peers and the tutor regarding their exercise intervention programmes to help them to progress. Outside of formal scheduled teaching, the module tutor and staff teaching team will have office hours available for one to one and/or small group appointments each week. There will also be a discussion board on the module’s Blackboard site, which students can use to engage in discussion with their tutor and peers.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.

Knowledge & Understanding:
? 1. Critically discuss the evidence base for the use of exercise as a strategy to improve mental health.
? 2. Critically discuss and apply a range of theories and intervention strategies to address the use of exercise as a health promotion strategy for different client groups.
Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
? 3. Design a client centred health promotion programme focused on increasing exercise participation.
Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
? 4. Critically reflect upon personal performance as a behaviour change practitioner (exercise participation) and upon performance feedback provided by others.
? 5. Apply appropriate ethical and professional practice frameworks in the assessment and design of behaviour change in relation to exercise participation

Summative
Health Promotion Intervention Presentation.
The assessment will comprise of one submission:
The assessment will be a 20 minute digitally recorded PowerPoint presentation detailing the key evidence for the use of exercise as an intervention for mental health. The presentation will include a critique of relevant behaviour change theories and a proposed intervention strategy. The presentation should make reference to the literature to justify the decisions made in the design of your intervention strategy (MLO 1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

Formative assessment
Throughout the teaching sessions you will be encouraged to contribute to small group discussions in order to enhance your confidence and understanding of the benefits of exercise for mental health and behaviour change strategies. You will also be required contribute to class discussions and provide written critiques of real-life exercise behaviour change interventions.
Programme design and reflective practice will be addressed during taught sessions. You will have the opportunity to practice these skills in a supportive environment and to receive feedback from your tutor and peers. During these sessions you will be able to discuss any difficulties/concerns that you have about designing and implementing your training programme, and will receive input from your peers and tutor.
Written feedback will be provided on summative work. Comments will highlight strengths and ways in which improvements/further development can be made

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Exercise – You don’t have to take it seriously, just regularly! Unfortunately, only a minority of the population are exercising regularly enough to gain health benefits. This module is for students who are interested in health promotion and want to learn how to inspire more people to exercise more often. Designed and taught by academics who are HCPC registered and BPS Chartered and who have experience of delivering real-life health behaviour change interventions, this module will appeal to psychologists who want to work specifically in health promotion, as well as to physiologists who want to increase the exercise uptake and adherence rates of their clinical patients.
A highlight of the module is the opportunity to work, under supervision, with a real client in order to help them to get to incorporate exercise into their life and to learn how to maintain exercise behaviour for long term good health.