Lab Director / Head Coach
Dr. Gordon Bloom
Dr. Gordon Bloom is a Full Professor of Sport Psychology with an internationally-recognized research program related to the knowledge, strategies, and behaviours of sport coaching. Dr. Bloom has expertise in the areas of effective coaching practices, including coach learning and development, such as mentoring and communities of practice, as well as strategies and behaviours that develop strong coach-athlete relationships and cultures of excellence.
Utilizing qualitative methods, Dr. Bloom is passionate about better understanding and improving the mental health and well-being of high-performance coaches and the ways in which high-performance coaches can foster well-being through athlete-centered learning environments. He is currently the director of the McGill Sport Psychology Research Laboratory, where he has worked with world leading coaches and athletes as both a researcher and sport psychology practitioner for over 30 years.
From a research standpoint, he has published over 150 refereed journal articles and book chapters, as well as over 300 refereed conference presentations to local and international audiences. He hopes that his research results can lead to changes in the Canadian sport culture that would help to create psychologically safe, supportive, and accepting environments.
On an applied level, Dr. Bloom has implemented an evidence-based approach by incorporating the findings of his research into his role as a certified mental performance consultant (CMPC) with amateur, professional, Olympic, and Paralympic athletes. Additionally, he has received numerous invitations from academic and sport coaching associations to present his research and practical experiences to scientists, administrators, and coaches at various levels of sport around the world.