Leeds Trinity University’s Psychology Week takes place from Tuesday 5 to Friday 9 November at the Main Campus in Horsforth where influential guest speakers will share their knowledge, expertise and career advice with students studying Psychology and related courses.

This year the programme includes keynotes from Professor Steve Peters, Consultant Psychiatrist; Dr Helen Hughes, Associate Professor in Organisational Psychology; Professor Brendan Gough, Critical Social Psychologist; Dr Lydia Gunning from the Centre for Applied Education Research; and Andy Bampton, the West Yorkshire area lead for the national men’s mental health charity, Andy’s Man Club.

Psychology Week has been designed to get students thinking about the valuable transferable skills and different career paths that a Psychology degree can lead to and how to futureproof a career as a modern psychologist.

The programme also focusses on how psychology can be applied to understand and address societal challenges such as the impact of masculinity norms on male’s mental health, and the role of social media influencers in establishing and maintaining these norms, how to improve the health and wellbeing of communities experiencing high levels of deprivation, and how to harness the power of the mind to increase confidence and success at any age.

Keynote speaker Professor Peters is a medical doctor that specialises in mental health and the functioning of the human mind. Professor Peters has dedicated his working life to helping people get the best out of themselves and to be in a good place. He has been a consultant to over 20 Olympic and national sporting teams including Liverpool FC, British Cycling, GB Taekwondo, England Rugby, and England Football.

Some well-known personalities such as Steven Gerrard, Sir Chris Hoy, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Victoria Pendleton, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Lee Westwood, Jonathan Trott and Raheem Sterling are amongst those who have spoken publicly about how Professor Peters has helped them during their careers.

Psychology Week is being held in Men’s Health Awareness Month. Representatives from Andy’s Man Club will share stories and case studies of lived experiences and signpost students to the resources they provide as a national mental health charity for men. Professor Brendan Gough will also talk about how masculinity norms inform and constrain how men and boys navigate mental health problems such as anxiety and depression across the lifespan.

Students will also hear from a panel of Leeds Trinity alumni who have gone on to forge careers outside of practitioner psychologist roles, in industries where the skills of a Psychology graduate are highly sought after (such as Brand Strategy and Marketing, UX Design), and from a panel of Chartered Psychologists that have specialised as practitioners including Forensic and Educational Psychologists. This breadth will help current students consider their options for future employment, receive guidance on how to achieve the most from their degree and how to prepare now for what comes after graduation. 

Attendees will have the option to attend practical workshops on how to write a CV and prepare applications for employment or further study, how to use creative writing to disseminate research to broader audiences (led by spoken word artist, Haris Ahmed), how to use a Psychology degree as a superpower in marketing, and how to explore pathways into tech. In collaboration with the Careers+Placements service at Leeds Trinity, attendees will be invited to an event to meet potential employers and work-based learning providers including Forward Ladies, West Yorkshire Police, Leeds and York NHS Foundation Trust, Forward Leeds and HM Prison and Probation Service.

Michelle Dalton, Deputy Head of School of Psychology at Leeds Trinity University, said: “The week has been developed to celebrate and share our overall love and passion for Psychology as a subject area. The programme has been created with our Psychology students in mind in terms of getting them to think about how their degree applies more broadly and the career routes that their degree might lead to. We are also very happy for students completing other courses at Leeds Trinity University, other establishments, and members of the public to register their interest in attending any of the sessions.”

For more information and to view the full programme, visit the Leeds Trinity University website.

To attend a session, email Michelle Dalton at [email protected].

For more information about the range of Psychology courses (including Forensic Psychology, Counselling Psychology, Psychology and Child Development, and Sport Psychology) available at Leeds Trinity, visit the University website.