With competition on hold, athletic departments zero in on student athletes’ mental health

.....Coaches are also looking at ways they can better support athletes’ mental health. The P-P athletic department recently created a coaches’ Mental Health Committee made up of coaches, staff members and athletic trainers to have constant conversations about how they can better support student-athletes. 

“I think what’s great about the [coach’s] committee is that because it’s made up of so many people, it shows … that we are all invested in supporting our student-athletes,” Merrill said. “The formation of the committee showed that [the commitment to mental health] is more than just lip service. Our folks are working to get things done.”......

.....Merrill refers to mental health as a spectrum — it’s “very normal” for people to be anywhere on the spectrum of wellness, and giving student-athletes the resources to seek help is what P-P aims to achieve.

“But what’s most important is that we know [that] when they slide to the end and they’re just not feeling well, that they know the resources they have available and can utilize them,” she said.....

   ...more

Bethany`s Notes: Great news and focus coming from a NCAA DIII school. The more we can support students and help them understand the spectrum of mental health the better they can ask for resources when they need them.