Profiles
Dr Jon Rhodes
Associate Lecturer
School of Psychology (Faculty of Health)
Biography
Biography
Jonathan (Jon) Rhodes, a Chartered Psychologist (BPS), specialises predominantly in performance enhancement and motivation. His deep curiosity lies in exploring the reasons behind why some individuals and teams persevere with challenging goals while others falter. The key, he believes, may lie in understanding how we imagine and communicate our visions.
With a Ph.D. in Psychology, his research primarily centres around the development and refinement of Functional Imagery Training (FIT) for both individual and team performance. Over the last two decades, Jon has served as a consultant psychologist to premiership rugby and football players, provided support to athletes across multiple Olympic and Commonwealth Games, coached business teams at globally renowned organisations such as IBM and Citadel, and maintained an ongoing research collaboration with the British Army to enhance resilience for the All-Arms Commando Course.
Beyond his applied background, Jon actively contributes to research papers leveraging FIT for performance enhancement in various fields, including sports, healthcare, and more recently, sustainability. In 2023, he co-authored and published his debut book, "The Choice Point," a work that has since received acclaim from the Next Big Idea Club and been translated in seven different languages.
Qualifications
PhD Psychology (2019) University of Plymouth
PGCAP in Education (2015) University of Plymouth
MSc Sports Performance (2007) University of Portsmouth
BA Sports Studies and Psychology (2006) University of Winchester
Professional membership
British Psychological Society (Chartered Psychologist)
Higher Education Academy (Fellow)
Key publications
(2024) 'Imagery training for athletes with low imagery abilities' Journal of Applied Sport Psychology 1-14 Publisher Site , DOI Open access
Teaching
Teaching
Teaching interests
Sport Psychology (final year option).
Performance Psychology (final year option).
Culture Change in High Performance Sport (final year option)
Health Psychology (BSc)
Motivational Interviewing (MSc)
Imagery, focusing on Functional Imagery Training.
Mindset and Grit and general Character Change.
Applied Research focusing on group interventions.
Research
Research
Research interests
Imagery
Performance Psychology
Other research
Coaching for Climate Change
Publications
Publications
Key publications
(2024) 'Imagery training for athletes with low imagery abilities' Journal of Applied Sport Psychology 1-14 Publisher Site , DOI Open access
Key publications are highlighted
Journals
Articles
(2024) 'Imagery training for athletes with low imagery abilities' Journal of Applied Sport Psychology 1-14 Publisher Site , DOI Open access
(2023) 'Inner Development Goals and the Meaning, Awareness and Purpose (MAP) Model for Climate Coaching' Journal of Mental Health and Climate Change , DOI Open access
(2021) 'Applied Imagery for Motivation: A Person-centred Model' International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology , DOI Open access
(2021) 'From couch to ultra marathon: using functional imagery training to enhance motivation' Journal of Imagery Research in Sport and Physical Activity 16, (1) , DOI Open access
(2020) 'Penalty Success in Professional Soccer: A Randomised Comparison between Imagery Methodologies' Journal of Imagery Research in Sport and Physical Activity 15, (1) , DOI Open access
(2020) 'An interdisciplinary approach to improving the quality of life in Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome: A case study' Case Studies in Sport and Exercise Psychology 4, (1) 134-141 , DOI Open access
(2018) 'Enhancing Grit through Functional Imagery Training in Professional Soccer' Sport Psychologist 32, (3) , DOI Open access
Books
(2023) The Choice Point The Scientifically Proven Method for Achieving Your Goals. Hachette UK
Presentations and posters
'Coaching Imagery to Athletes with Aphantasia' Open access