Dr. Tanja Ecken

Dr. Tanja Simone Ecken is a practitioner psychologist and sport psychology specialist whose work bridges elite football performance support with trauma-informed clinical practice. Her applied profile is shaped by years embedded in professional academies in Germany, paired with doctoral research exploring how psychologically informed interventions can enhance performance-relevant outcomes such as confidence and self-belief in footballers.

Since May 2025, she has worked in the UK in private practice as a Practitioner Psychologist (Freelance), providing trauma-informed care, psychological support, and EMDR. In parallel, she holds a Highly Specialist Psychologist role within the NHS (from February 2025), delivering trauma-informed psychological support for individuals living with HIV and for people who have experienced sexual trauma. This includes close collaboration within multidisciplinary hospital teams and the supervision of clinical and associate psychology trainees as they progress towards qualification.

Dr. Ecken also contributes to professional standards and training pathways within psychology. She has served as a Supervisor with the British Psychological Society (from October 2024), supporting trainees working toward Chartered status in Sport and Exercise Psychology, and she has held an Editorial Sport Psychology role with Hogrefe AG (from August 2020), reflecting ongoing involvement in the dissemination and quality of applied sport psychology knowledge.

Within coach education, she has been an Online Lecturer in Sport Psychology for ISSPF (from August 2020), delivering applied content grounded in both elite football practice and research. Her academic track includes a long-term research appointment as PhD Candidate/Researcher & Sport Psychologist at Anglia Ruskin University (January 2017–December 2023), where her work focused on sport psychology in professional football and investigated the effects of EMDR on self-efficacy. She also worked as an Associate Researcher at Universität Witten/Herdecke (August 2022–December 2023), further strengthening her research foundation alongside applied delivery.

In professional football, Dr. Ecken held senior academy roles in Germany, serving as Head Sport Psychologist at Fortuna Düsseldorf (May 2014–June 2018) and later Head Sport Psychologist at FC Ingolstadt 04 (July 2018–June 2020). Across these posts, she provided structured psychological support for academy players and aligned applied work with ongoing doctoral research, with a particular interest in confidence processes and performance readiness. Her specialist content focus is often described through the lens of self-efficacy in goalkeepers and football players, where psychological skills, identity, and pressure-management intersect with technical and tactical demands.

Her training and professional recognition include a PhD in Sport Psychology (Anglia Ruskin University, 2017–2023)and completion of the British Psychological Society Qualification in Sport and Exercise Psychology (2018–2022). She is also registered as a Practising Psychologist with the HCPC (issued November 2022) and holds Associate Fellowstatus with the British Psychological Society (issued December 2022).