What can COACHES do to support athlete mental health?

In a group of 100 coaches, how many of them would raise their hand when asked the question, “do your athletes struggle with mental health?”. Pick a number; how many would actually raise their hand? 

Now, take a pool of 100 athletes and ask them the question, “how many of you or your teammates struggle with mental health?”. How many raise their hand? 

I can tell you the results. According to renowned Sports Psychologist Dr. Matthew Sacco, he relayed this exact story. Only a handful of coaches raised their hand yet almost every athlete raised his/her hand. Why is there such a disconnect? Why are coaches unaware of the struggles athletes face when it comes to the emotional rollercoaster of sports?

There is really only one answer: fear. 

I can speak from my own experience. Athletes hold so much fear over coming forward to express mental health struggles to anyone. In an environment where expressing weaknesses could cost you a shot at winning, the ultimate goal, athletes choose to silently suffer and hide as to not jeopardize the very thing they’re working so hard for. If an athlete confides in a coach feelings of stress, anxiety, depression, sleeping troubles, etc. the coach may sit him/her out the next game. The coach may lose confidence in that player. The athlete doesn’t want to take that risk. So, we are left with unaware coaches, silently suffering athletes and the widespread tragedy of poor mental health in sports. 

What can coaches start doing today to resolve an athlete’s fear in expressing struggles?

According to the International Olympic Committee, here is a list of things coaches should do to support athletes when it comes to mental health:

• Create a destigmatizing environment

• Mental health help-seeking becomes a core function of training and self-care

• Attend to athlete stressors including training load, recovery, injury, burnout and retirement

• Ensure training is age and developmentally appropriate

• Communicate the importance of mental health to parents

• Foster positive psychological development & well-being to learn how to respond to stressors in healthy ways

• Help athletes learn skills that promote resilience, psychological flexibility, self-compassion and adaptation to situational demands while staying consistent with one’s values.

• Foster a process oriented mindset (emphasize effort and improvement) rather than an achievements and outcomes mindset

Coaches can be important advocates of promoting positive attitudes about mental health by being mindful of early identification and referral of athletes with possible mental health symptoms and disorders to mental health services. (source)

Given the above list, coaches can think about tactical ways to apply these suggestions in their own team environments. Some ideas include:

• 1 mental health day per month (relief from practice)

• Positively reinforce an athlete coming forward (tell him/her “thank you for telling me this and trusting me, let’s find you the help you need”)

• Mandatory yoga/meditation training

• Individual meetings with each athlete before the season, mid-season and post-season to check on mood stability and outlook (can be conducted by coach or another designated team professional)

• Encourage staff (trainers, nutritionists, etc.) to recommend a mental health professional if an athlete does express concerns

• Lead by example (share insights/stories/perspectives from your own life)

• Recommend reading materials (athlete memoirs are a well of relatable knowledge! My favorite is Open by Andre Agassi)

• Communicate clear protocols and contact information for seeking help CONFIDENTIALLY if needed (could be a laminated sheet in the locker room with necessary information)

• Adopt and share a “your life doesn’t get worse when losing, it only gets better from winning” attitude

• Post a team mantra in the training room, locker room or other practice facility (e.g. “Create the best possible conditions for success, then let go of the outcome” - Phil Jackson)

If you have your own suggestions on how to incorporate the recommended guidelines for creating a destigmatized environment for athletes, please let me know! I would love to hear them. 

Coaches, you have a responsibility to your athletes to lead openly, supporting the total individual and not just the physical successes of swimming fast, jumping hurdles and throwing balls. What are you going to start doing today to support your athletes on their own sports journey?