Doctoral student delivers sport psychology programme in India

Sahen Gupta
Sahen Gupta

An inspiring Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) Doctoral student designed and delivered a sport psychology training programme for students at his alumnus university in India.

Stage 2 DPsych trainee Sahen Gupta led the five-day training course on Sport and Performance Psychology entitled 'The Mentality of Elite Performance' to 43 students.

The ratified sport psychology training programme was delivered in partnership with Sahen’s alumnus Christ University, and hosted by CHRIST Consulting, Christ University’s results-driven business consultancy centre.

Sahen was delighted to have been involved in this collaboration with Christ University in Bangalore where he graduated in psychology in 2019 and is hoping to continue to build on the relationship.

He said: “It was great to be involved in designing and delivering the first formal university hosted programme in sport psychology in India for undergraduate and postgraduate students. It was very special because it was done in partnership with my alumnus university and hosted by CHRIST Consulting. I would love to continue to work with the University in the future shining a spotlight on my work and bringing sport psychology to my home country.”

Sahen is a Trainee Sport and Exercise Psychologist who is currently pursuing his Sport and Exercise Psychology Professional Doctorate at GCU.  As part of his studies Sahen provides sport psychology support to the under-19 Scotland National Male Cricket team, and has worked in elite football, tennis, archery, and golf.

He also founded Discovery: The Sport & Performance Lab (www.discoveryspl.com) to provide a platform combining scientific research, education and applied sport psychology.

GCU’s DPsych Sport and Exercise Psychology is the only programme of its kind in Scotland, with a strong focus on developing outstanding therapeutic skills, inter-disciplinary learning, teaching and research.

CHRIST Consulting Head, Anamika Viswanathan, said: “Through this well-attended course, all 43 participants received real-life experience through role-play exercises, discussions, and other exciting and engaging activities.

“What we thought would be an under-subscribed course due to its novelty, turned out to surpass our expectations, so much so that we had to run two batches a day.

The course covered highly relevant and important topics such as Professional Practice philosophy and its importance in the performance context; Career Path for Sports Psychologists; and Opportunities and Challenges in Sports and Performance Psychology.

“Mr Sahen Gupta has done a stellar job of coaching each of these attendees and has left a lasting imprint on their minds regarding global trends like Sport and Performance Psychology. We wish him the very best and look forward to engaging in many more fruitful collaborations.”