Overview

The APS College of Sport and Exercise Psychology is pleased to invite participants to a 3-part series on working with diverse cohorts. This event is online, and registrants can register for one or more of the workshops.

This series offers a unique opportunity to learn from specialists working with diverse cohorts, helping practitioners deepen their understanding and enhance the impact of their sport psychology practice.

Through expert insights and practical perspectives, participants will develop greater awareness of the unique needs, strengths, and challenges of diverse populations. This knowledge will support more effective case formulation, stronger practitioner–client relationships, and more tailored interventions that promote meaningful outcomes across a range of sporting contexts.

All sessions will be on Thursday evenings at 6:30pm-8pm (AEST) and will be recorded for access after the live event.

The series will cover three diverse cohorts, with engaging experts in each area sharing their expertise, practical insights, and real-world experiences.

Schedule:

Summary: The Neurodivergent Athlete: ADHD, Autism and Performance Psychology in Practice Session

Neurodivergent individuals are significantly represented within sporting, performance, and high-achievement environments, yet many remain unidentified or unsupported. Traditional sport psychology approaches often assume neurotypical cognitive, emotional, and sensory processing styles, which can inadvertently reduce treatment effectiveness.

This workshop explores the intersection of neurodiversity and sport through a practical, evidence-informed lens. Participants will develop a deeper understanding of autism, ADHD, and related neurodivergent presentations, learn how these profiles may influence athletic performance and wellbeing, and identify ways to adapt assessment, intervention, communication, and multidisciplinary collaboration.

Drawing from both clinical practice and lived experience, this presentation will provide practical tools for psychologists working with athletes, active individuals, and performance-focused clients across private practice and sporting organisations.  

Key Learning Areas

• Identify common presentations of ADHD and autism within sporting populations
• Recognise how neurodivergence may influence performance, motivation, emotional regulation, recovery, and wellbeing
• Understand why standard sport psychology interventions may be less effective for some neurodivergent clients
• Adapt assessment, formulation, and intervention strategies to better meet neurodivergent needs
• Collaborate more effectively within multidisciplinary performance environments

Summary: The Performing Artist and Creative Performers

This presentation will explore key challenges for performing artists, and equip attendees with knowledge to understand the discipline context, with a key focus on learning about strategies to promote working effectively with performing artists. Attendees will learn how to create and sustain creativity-supportive environments within performing arts organisations (such as National Circus School). Additionally, the presentation will address the challenges of touring life and its impact on mental health of performers, and explore how sport/performance psychology can be used to help prepare artists to perform more than 400 shows per year. A key feature of this session will be on how practitioners can support artists and their environment navigate the balance between performance, creativity, and wellbeing.

Key Learning Areas

• Understanding performing artists and the culture of creative performers.
• Identifying key challenges for performing artists.
• Working effectively with performing artists.
• Promoting performance and creativity whilst supporting and protecting wellbeing of artists.
• Applying lessons from elite creative performance settings to sport psychology practice.

Summary: Elite Military Operators: Lessons for Applied Sport Psychology

This presentation explores the unique psychological demands of working with elite military operators, with a focus on trust, culture, identity, and performance in high-consequence environments. Attendees will learn how psychological factors drive success in elite, high-risk operational roles, and gain practical insights into building credibility, supporting health and human performance, and adapting psychological practice to better meet the needs of this specialised population. Key focuses of this session are on understanding extreme performance, including unpacking cognition, past behaviour, and coping skills in arduous environments, and risk identification, involving spotting employee vulnerabilities that threaten safety or operational success.

Key Learning Areas

• Understanding elite military culture and identity.
• Developing preventative resilience by building strategies to sustain performance and proactively stop decline.
• Building trust and credibility in operational environments.
• Navigating barriers to psychological support and help-seeking.
• Managing dual-role dilemmas where organisational demands need to be balanced with individual duty of care in complex environments.
• Applying lessons from elite military settings to sport psychology practice.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this event, participants should be able to:

• Identify common presentations and challenges related to particular cohort groups
• Understand unique needs and strengths of particular cohort groups
• Learn ways to adapt practice to increase effectiveness when working with particular cohorts
• Be more equipped to recognise and work with individuals with diverse needs

Presenter(s)

About the presenter(s)

Dr. Amelia Read, Psychologist - Clinical Psychologist | Founder, Director and Principal Psychologist at The Neurodiversity Network

As the Founder, Director, and Principal Psychologist at The Neurodiversity Network Amelia brings over a decade of expertise in the mental health sector, with a strong focus on neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism, ADHD, specific learning disorders, and related challenges. With a Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology, she has dedicated her career to providing tailored support to children, adults, and families navigating the complexities of neurodiversity.

Amelia’s approach is both evidence-based and deeply informed by her own lived experience. Diagnosed with ADHD and autism herself, she understands firsthand the unique perspectives and challenges of neurodivergence. This personal insight has fuelled her mission to champion and empower the neurodiverse community through compassionate care and advocacy.

Professor Gene Moyle, Psychologist - Sport & Exercise Psychologist | Pro Vice-Chancellor & Co-Leader of the QUT Leadership Institute | Former Head of Student Health & Welfare at the Australian Ballet School | Former Professional Ballet Dancer

Professor Gene Moyle is the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic Programs and Partnerships) at QUT and Co-Leader of the QUT Leadership Institute, with a career spanning senior university leadership, performance psychology and organisational development across elite sport, the performing arts and the corporate sectors. A registered Sport and Exercise Psychologist, Gene has supported Winter Olympic sports across three Olympic cycles and led national sport and performance psychology sector development and service delivery spanning decades.

A previous professional ballet dancer, her passion for supporting performing artists has led to key roles including the Head of Student Health & Welfare at the Australian Ballet School, Lecturer in Performance Psychology at QUT Creative Industries and The Conservatorium Griffith University, Career Development Advisor for the national SCOPE and SCOPE for Artists Programs, in addition to the provision of psychology services to artists and students at professional companies and training institutions including The Australian Ballet, Queensland Ballet and private performing arts schools. Gene’s research has been sector defining in performing arts psychology including advancing the area of dance and health, resulting in her being named as the leader in her field as one of the Top 250 Researchers in Australia in 2025 (The Australian Research Magazine).

Dr. Veronique Richard - Applied researcher and lecturer at the University of Queensland in creativity and movement sciences to optimize performance, health and wellbeing | Former mental performance consultant for Canadian national sport organisations and Cirque du Soleil

Dr Veronique Richard earned her doctoral degree in sport science from the University of Montreal then went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship in sport psychology at Florida State University. Her specialization in performance psychology and creativity has brought her to work in both research and applied environments.

Currently working as a lecturer and researcher at the University of Queensland, Dr Richard is conducting applied research combining creativity and movement sciences to optimize performance, health and wellbeing. Dr Richard's research interests initially emerged from her simultaneous involvements with high performance sports and circus arts. In her prior roles as a mental performance consultant for Canadian national sport organisations and Cirque du Soleil, Veronique observed the challenges of balancing high-level performance and well-being for sport and performing arts stakeholders.

Dr. Elio Martino, Psychologist - Lieutenant in the Royal Australian Navy and serves as a Submarine and Underwater Medicine Psychologist | PhD in Military Psychology with a research focus on the combat experiences of elite and special forces personnel

Dr Elio Martino is a Lieutenant in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and serves as a Submarine and Underwater Medicine Psychologist. His expertise lies in the selection, performance, and resilience of nuclear submariners. He currently operates at the strategic level, designing selection standards for high-consequence environments. In the coming months, he will also be working closely with Clearance Diver teams.

Dr Martino holds a Master of Science in Applied Psychology from the University of Sussex and a PhD in Military Psychology, with a research focus on the combat experiences of elite and special forces personnel. He has worked exclusively within military settings for the past six years, with experience across the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

Dr. John Sullivan, Psychologist - Clinical Sport Psychologist | Head of Psychology at High Performance Sport New Zealand | Former subject matter expert and technical lead for SEAL Team Six | Human Performance Researcher with NASA and DARPA | Co-author of ‘The Brain Always Wins’

Dr. John Sullivan is a Clinical Sport Psychologist, Sport Scientist, and the Head of Psychology for High Performance Sport New Zealand. With over 30 years of clinical and scholarly experience, he spent 16 years (2000–2016) with the New England Patriots in the NFL, coordinating sports science and clinical care. He has also worked with elite organizations such as the English Premier League, Football Association, Premier Rugby League, Australian Football League, and Olympic National teams.  Additionally, Dr. Sullivan has also served as a subject matter expert and technical lead for elite military units within the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM/SOCOM) and the United States Naval Special Warfare Command (USNSWC/WARCOM). Additionally, he has provided expertise to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Human Performance Directorate and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

Notes

Target Audience

This event is aimed at psychologists working in sport and performance settings.

Please note:

• This is a Member Groups event. All communication will be sent to the registrants’ registered email address. This includes event reminders with details (such as zoom link) and any pre-event or post-event resources, if provided by the facilitators.
• A post-event email will be sent within two weeks of the event’s completion to each registrant’s registered email address. This email will include the CPD certificate, event-recording, and any additional resources shared during the session.

Duration of Access

This event will be recorded. The recording will be emailed to all registered within 2 weeks post event and available for viewing up to 90 days.

CPD

It is up to attendees to assess and determine how learning from this event aligns with the requirements of their learning plan. The providers accordingly do not make any representation that the event counts towards attendees’ CPD learning requirements. If an attendee determines themselves that the learning they complete aligns to their learning plan, then they can decide to count those hours towards their CPD requirements for the registration cycle.

The information in this presentation has been prepared in good faith and for educational purposes only. Therefore, the information is general in nature and should not be relied upon in the treatment of any condition and you should seek your own independent professional and/or legal advice concerning any specific issue. The APS accepts no responsibility for any errors, omissions or decisions relating to the information. The content should not be reproduced without permission or unless permitted by law.

If you are experiencing registration difficulties please contact APS Events Support.