Muscle up on mental illness with exercise: Guest lecture series at Coffs campus

Southern Cross University is pleased to announce the second event in its 2019 Exercise Science and Psychological Science public lecture series to celebrate the launch of the combined Bachelor of Exercise Science and Psychological Science degree.

‘Muscling up on Mental Illness’ will be presented by Dr Simon Rosenbaum at 7pm on Wednesday May 29. Dr Rosenbaum is a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Psychiatry at UNSW Sydney and the Black Dog Institute. He also serves on the national board of Exercise and Sports Science Australia.

Dr Rosenbaum’s research looks at the impact of physical activity on symptoms of mental disorders and the implementation of exercise as a component of standard care within mental health settings. He has worked with a variety of groups including veterans, emergency service workers and refugees.

He has recently co-written the book ‘Exercise-based interventions for mental illness: physical activity as part of clinical treatment’.

“This is the first applied textbook targeting practitioners and summarising the now overwhelming body of evidence showing the benefits of physical activity for people living with mental illness,” Dr Rosenbaum said.

“My talk will summarise this evidence and cover real world examples of how exercise and exercise physiologists are being considered as ‘core business’ within mental health services.”

Public lecture series organiser Dr Christian Swann said he was excited to welcome Dr Simon Rosenbaum to Coffs Harbour.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to hear from one of the world’s leading experts in exercise and mental health. Dr Rosenbaum is invited to give talks all around the world, so it’s exciting that he will be presenting this guest lecture in Coffs Harbour,” said Dr Swann.

“Simon’s talk will be of interest to anyone thinking about studying exercise and/or psychology or pursuing careers in this area, as well as those already practicing and working in mental health.

“Events like this also celebrate Southern Cross University’s recent ranking as the best place to study psychology in Australia, and it is a great opportunity for members of the public to visit our campus and speak with some of our staff and students about our degrees.”

According to the 2019 national student feedback survey, Southern Cross is ranked number one in Australia for psychology – the only University to rate above 90 per cent.

Exercise Science and Psychological Science

For more information about the new combined Bachelor of Exercise Science and Psychological Science degree, go to scu.edu.au/exercisescience 

Southern Cross also offers a Bachelor of Psychological Science, a Bachelor of Psychological Science with Honours and a double degree in Psychological Science and Laws.

Exercise Science and Psychological Science Public Lecture series

A lecture series featuring experts in the role of psychology in sport and exercise science are planned for year. These public lectures will be useful for anybody interested in studying sport and exercise psychology; who are considering careers in this area, like sports coaching; or anybody interested in their own improvement of performance and wellbeing.