Advisor
Scott Douglas
Type of Resources
Article
Date Created
5-7-2022
Abstract
While mental health is a prevalent and important topic in athletics, coaches often receive little to no training on how to recognize and manage mental health concerns or how to make good mental health a priority on their team. Thus, a mental health presentation that informs coaches at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) on the main mental health disorders and concerns in student-athletes and their management was conducted. An investigation on the main mental health concerns in student-athletes and the best practices for athletic staff when managing these concerns was done to properly create the presentation and accurately inform coaches. The methodology consisted of a Google Slides presentation that explains the prevalence and some of the possible signs and symptoms of each mental health disorder or concern followed by specific guidelines for various scenarios on which a mental health concern is brought to a coach’s attention. This presentation was presented to the coaches of fourteen athletic teams at UNC over three semesters (Spring 2021-Spring 2022). The conclusion of this presentation was that mental health literacy and the response to mental health in the athletic department at UNC was improved. This conclusion was evaluated through pre- and post-surveys that assessed changes in coaches’ mental health literacy and management skills. Since this project led to an improvement in mental health literacy and management skills, it could serve as a framework for mental health education at other universities to ensure more coaches receive proper mental health education in the future.
Degree Name
Bachelor
