About SEPSIG

Find out more about the Sports and Exercise Psychiatry Special Interest Group (SEPSIG) below.

Aims and objectives

  • To raise awareness of mental health problems in sport and to promote best practice in addressing these.
  • To promote physical activity and exercise interventions throughout mental health services.

Executive Committee

Dr Caz Nahman is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist originally from Nottingham, now based in Oxford working in a community eating disorders team and providing undergraduate teaching to medical students at Oxford University. She is finance officer/deputy chair of the Sport Psychiatry Special Interest group. She has additional training in sport psychiatry with the ISSP (International Society for Sport Psychiatry) and does some private work with athletes in addition to working with numerous junior athletes who have comorbid eating disorders who she sees in her NHS role.

Her interests include compulsive overexercise; youth sport; eating disorders in athletes, autism spectrum disorders in athletes, life-style psychiatry and medical education. In addition, she is keen to improve standards of care for athletes with mental health problems.

She is a co-editor of the RCPsych book “New to eating disorders” – a supervision guide for staff new to the field and a chapter author of one of the Chapters in Case Studies in Sport Psychiatry.   She has published in  the Sport Psychiatry Journal. In future she is hoping to be involved in research looking at exercise interventions for patient with an eating disorder as well as researching eating difficulties in athletes.

In her free time she enjoys walking/running and cycling along the Thames River.

Dr David Prossor MMedSc (Hons) BMBS (Hons) MRCPsych, is an ST4 forensic psychiatry trainee in the North Central and East London training programme. He has presented his previous scientific research findings at International Conferences. Dr Prossor is a member of the Scientific Committee at the International Society for Sports Psychiatry (ISSP). 

 

The core aims are for SEPSIG are to raise the national profile of Sports Psychiatry working in alliance with the first international consensus statement of sports psychiatry published by the ISSP in November 2023 (DOI: 10.1111/sms.14627). The described fields of activity are:

(i) mental health and disorders in competitive and elite sports
(ii) mental health and sport-specific mental disorders in recreational sports

(iii) sports and exercise in prevention of and treatment for mental disorders

In addition, it is critical to establish a UK curriculum for sports psychiatry training and grow collaborations with sport and exercise medicine colleagues. SEPSIG is a leading advocate for overcoming barriers and implementing physical activity in clinical settings including lifestyle changes. SEPSIG collaborates with a number of organisations including Moving Medicine and The Institute of Sport Exercise and Health (ISEH).

Dr Prossor liaises with the wider professional global network to raise the profile of Sports Psychiatry collaborating with teams in Canada, America, Switzerland and South Africa. This includes promoting the first International Journal of Sports Psychiatry (@SportsPsychJ). Dr Prossor has published an abstract in this journal titled ‘A Narrative review of professional female tennis mental health: Exploration and discussion of relevant psychosocial pressures and psychiatric disorders relevant to the WTA Tour’.

Dr Prossor previously competed in International men's tennis tournaments. He was the previous Digital, Communications and Social Media Lead for SEPSIG, before being elected Financial Officer in 2024.

Dr Claire Gillvray

MBChB MRCPsych MRCGP MScSEM DCh

Dr Gillvray is dual trained in General Practice and Psychiatry and has worked across both disciplines both privately and in the NHS for over 20 years. As a competitive triathlete representing both Great Britain and more recently Ireland, in her age group, at all distances up to Ironman, she became interested in the world of sports psychiatry and completed her MSc in Sports Medicine at Bath University in 2010. Her published research is in the area of sports addiction and eating disorders.

Dr Gillvray founded her own company, Cognitive Sports Therapy, bringing together all aspects of lifestyle medicine, including physical activity and breathwork, to help improve and treat mental health disorders and protect mental wellbeing. Her company provides free training for sports coaches and fitness professionals in mental health and also promotes corporate wellbeing. She also founded Time to Talk CST, a Community Interest Company, supporting free community walking, running and cycling groups, and an educational podcast. She is the team doctor for Cambridge University Boat Club.

Dr Gillvray is the Exercise and Mental Health lead for SEPSIG promoting access to exercise and movement for those with mental health disorders.

Dr Jennifer Keal is a higher trainee specialising in General Adult Psychiatry and is now based in Thames Valley having completed core training in North West London. She has interests in eating disorders, ADHD and autism in adults, and sports psychiatry.

She has published research on the topic of mental health and sports in the journal Sports Psychiatry. She is the SEPSIG Trainee Rep and is keen to promote trainee interest and involvement within the field of sports and exercise psychiatry. 

Dr Thomas McCabe is a consultant psychiatrist based in Greater Glasgow. Following graduating from the University of Aberdeen, he initially trained in general practice before choosing psychiatry as a career and was shortlisted for Royal College of Psychiatry trainee of the year in 2017.

He has published research in various leading journals including the British Journal of Sports Medicine on mental health and sport as well as co-authoring the landmark 'Case Studies in Sport Psychiatry.' Dr McCabe has written the Mental Health Chapter for the next edition of the SEM Oxford Clinical Handbook. 

Dr McCabe is an honorary clinical lecturer at the University of Glasgow. He is a researcher and author with the landmark FIELD study (Football's InfluencE on Lifelong health and Dementia risk). He has published guidance on the future of mental health provision in cricket in the BMJ Sports and Exercise Medicine as well as football and weight lifting.

He has presented at international events on the topic and plays a central role in the Royal College of Psychiatrists' SEPSIG with particular interest in development of the specialty for students and trainee psychiatrists. Dr McCabe is a keen Parkrunner and a strong advocate for physical activity as an intervention for prevention and treatment of mental illness.

Consultant Sports Psychiatrist

Dr Amit D Mistry (@DrAMistryPsych) is a Consultant Sports Psychiatrist, dual trained in General adult and Old age Psychiatry. He is Responsible Clinician (RC) for an independent Tier 4, specialist inpatient Eating Disorder unit in Central London and Consultant Sports Psychiatrist to the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Women's team.

Dr Mistry has visiting clinical lecturer privileges in Sport and Exercise Medicine (SEM) and co-edited his first book in late 2020, entitled Case Studies in Sports Psychiatry with Cambridge University Press. His published research is related to exercise, exercise addiction, eating disorders, athlete mental health and wellbeing within the sport, leisure and fitness industry. Amit has played different rugby codes from county to national representative level.


 

Dr Lekka (MD, MSc, PhD) is a Consultant in General Adult Psychiatry and Honorary Senior Clinical Teacher in Medical Education. She is involved in patient care, teaching and service development. Her research work has led to many peer-reviewed published papers and conference presentations. She is also a qualified Coach, specialising in work stress and resilience.

Dr Lekka is a member of the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS) Dance for Health Committee, a member of the IADMS Mental Health Workgroup, and a reviewer for the Journal of Dance Medicine and Science. She is also a member of the International Society for Sports Psychiatry (ISSP) and One Dance UK, supporting the Healthier Dancer Programme.

In her role as Aesthetic Sports / Dance Liaison in SEPSIG's executive committee, Dr Lekka is developing collaborations between health and dance/sports professionals, exchanging knowledge, advocating for mental health and creating resources. She is particularly interested in athletes' and dancers' safeguarding and a positive culture in sport and dance. She is promoting physical activity for mental health and well-being.


Consultant Sports Psychiatrist: Perform-r

Tim is a sports psychiatrist working across the spectrum of mental health and performance within both elite sport and dance, certified by the International Society for Sport Psychiatry. Tim is also an approved expert on the Football Medicine and Performance Association (FMPA) register.

Tim is one of a very small number of psychiatrists to have also completed postgraduate training in applied sport and exercise psychology. Tim has supported both individuals and teams in elite football, in the Olympic and Paralympic Systems, elite rugby, cricket, tennis, horse racing and major UK ballet/dance companies. Tim offers support to members of the League Managers Association, as well as athletes in disciplinary, sports and civil law proceedings. 

Tim is a specialist member of Sport Resolutions' National Anti-Doping Panel. He was formerly a registered UKAD psychiatrist accredited to undertake therapeutic use exemption assessments.

Part-time, Tim is also clinical director at Togetherall, an anonymous online mental health service that offers a service to all UK Sport coaches and athletes.

Tim was a founding executive member of the College's Sport and exercise psychiatry special interest group (SEPSIG).

Resources

Organisations

Reading lists

Members of the Sports and Exercise SIG have put together reading lists on important topics:

SEPSIG Trainee Poster Prize

The SEPSIG run annual SEPSIG trainee poster prize competition.

Prizes available to trainees are: a first prize of £150, a second prize of £100 and a third prize of £50.

All posters can be original research, case study, education, training, QI, audit, service evaluation or any sport and/or exercise project that trainees have been involved with. 

All poster submissions should follow the template outlined below:

  • Aims/Background
  • Methods/Case Report
  • Results/Discussion
  • Conclusion

Once accepted, trainees should format their posters on Microsoft PowerPoint and can print them out in A3 size. Alternatively, trainees can contact their local academic/library departments to see whether they can print out their conference poster. Unfortunately, SEPSIG will not be able to reimburse any printing costs.

To enter, please book a ticket to attend the SEPSIG16 conference taking place on 4 October 2024, and bring your poster along with you. These will be judged and awards presented on the day.

Contact us

If you have any enquiries about the SEPSIG please contact sigs@rcpsych.ac.uk.

Read more to receive further information regarding a career in psychiatry