Resources for Coaches & Athletic Staff

Mental health exists on a continuum

Athletes are people first and athletes second. A student-athlete can be mentally healthy, may have a formal diagnosis, or may be somewhere in between experiencing mental health symptoms. Diagnosed mental health issues are complex. Some of them can have a “wax-and-wane” pattern involving periods of good mental health alternating with debilitating periods of anxiety, sadness and depression.

Athletes who have been given a formal mental health diagnosis can recover and have periods of optimal mental health, while athletes who have never received a mental health diagnosis can experience periods of poor mental health. Reinforcing how complex and nuanced mental health can be is vital to improving our understanding and awareness of mental health symptoms in student-athletes to help us recognize the signs and create a culture that supports help seeking.

These resources are aimed at creating psychological safety in athletics by creating:

• An athletic environment where student-athletes feel comfortable being themselves.
• An athletic environment where student-athletes can take the necessary interpersonal steps to build connection and community.
• An athletic environment where there is shared knowledge and understanding of mental health symptoms and disorders.
• An athletic environment where student-athletes feel supported and comfortable to seek help if and when they need it.