October 26, 2022

OpEd: Advocating for Student-Athlete Mental Health

Jordan Bishop

Coordinator of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion / National Junior College Athletic Association

Since the rise of mental health awareness, student-athletes have been given the freedom to take a breath. The truth of a matter that has long been hidden has finally been unveiled.

Let's start by acknowledging that understanding and appreciating the complexity of a topic that is difficult to talk about is a significant win. No, mental health is not just a topic we discuss when intervention is a must, and mental illness visibly becomes detrimental to the entirety of a person. In the world of collegiate athletics, mental health is an ongoing conversation that attends to the day-to-day process of what it takes to be a student-athlete.

As a former NJCAA coach and student-athlete, I know firsthand that there are a lot of good coaches who are even better people but fall short in their feelings of adequacy when it comes to handling the topic of mental health. However, health is health. We all know from the human lives we live that neglecting our health takes a toll on our bodies and minds.

Think about it. If you were driving the bus to an away game, you wouldn't just forget to fill up with gas. The range of risk far outweighs the potential reward when driving to a destination with a timestamp. We value showing up on time to a game too much to allow large amounts of uncertainty to affect that decision.

And what do you do when the check engine light beeps at you once your hand turns the key to head to that away game? You'd probably phone a message to your athletic director and request a service tune-up after your trip.

Now, I'd take a wild guess and say that the average college coach did not study psychiatry or receive formal mental health training, and the nice thing is likely, no administration is asking this from you as a coach. A coach's objective when it comes to attending to the health of student-athletes is simple. Invest in them holistically by supporting the notion that the mind and body are two halves of a whole. That long-glowing beep that flashes across the dashboard is a tool that we can use to help student-athletes hear and see in themselves. It is a warning sign that pulls mental focus towards noting something is going on under the hood that will need some attention soon.

HOW DO WE DO THAT?

Be an Advocate

Do not forget what you already do within your program - life lessons, skills, and tools - are already being engrained through your chosen teaching method. Maybe you are passionate about time management. So, begin each season by showing your team how to properly create a weekly schedule that helps them manage their time.

Not being organized is the first mistake a first-year student will make. Out of the nearly 40 freshmen under my wing when I was a coach, I can recall three who prioritized proper scheduling before our staff gave guidance on organizing their time. If we do not show them how it can be done, we cannot expect them to do it well. Learning how to schedule early in one's college athletic journey is an acquired skill that can prevent many inconsistencies that are bound to follow disorganization.

It is easy to forget that the players in our programs are often experiencing things on their own for the first time. Many face challenges like virtual learning, distance from family, food insecurity, or identity shifts. Coaches have a unique opportunity to capitalize on the in-between moments, though. Identify moments to connect while they are stretching before practice or while they are staring at their phones, patiently waiting for a teammate to walk back to the dorm with them.

You'd be surprised how showing up to practice with a bag of carrots and inviting the initial heatwave of jokes that followed because I would eat at an unexpected time, would change how a few female student-athletes approached their eating habits. They would say, "Hey Coach, you'd be proud ... I had some carrots during lunch today."

Model It - Speak a language that says here is what I do, and it works for me; you are welcome to try it if you'd like to.

Build Your Team

Understand that your role is to be the best possible coach for your team. That begins with knowing how to build around your strengths and seek out people with skills you do not possess. Possible positions on your leadership team: head coach, assistant coach, athletic trainer, athletic director, academic supporters, and mental health professionals.

Let's not forget that student-athletes rave about their favorite professors. Reach out and see if some of those professors are willing to come to be a part of your leadership team. Consider not having your staff present while a professor leads a mental wellness activity. When informing a coach about feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, the social stigma alone and the embarrassment that crosses an student-athlete's mind can seem heavy. It is essential to know when you may not be the best resource for the student-athletes and, even more importantly, to point them toward someone who is.

Infect Your Area

Create an environment that promotes mental well-being and mental resilience. It's a unique challenge because everyone in athletics is competitive - that's the draw to athletics. It starts from the top down.

I remember my first year as a coach; every member of the athletic staff worked out in the weight room and at times, a few of us would do CrossFit sequences or HITT workouts together. Could you guess who the biggest gym rat out of us was? Our athletic director. He was the best advocate for changing the conversation from being a leader immersed in achievement to a leader willing to be seen in their most authentic form.

There is room to do the same thing when head coaches build the culture of their teams. Lead with authenticity while acknowledging the student-athletes' mental health needs are just as important as their physical health needs. Research conducted by Cutler Wellness looked at student-athletes' perspectives on mental health at their campuses, and the results centered around one relationship dynamic. "Does the head coach look at me holistically, and do they care about me, not just my performance ... "

This is the component head coaches must continue to create mindful practices around as the conversation surrounding mental health continues to grow. It is no longer appropriate to ignore the other half of our student-athletes health. As we all continue to learn how to assist our student-athletes better, we can do our part in increasing advocacy, building internal support systems, and creating opportunities for student-athlete to be seen in their entirety.