Managing one’s mental health is crucial for a student-athlete to be successful—but it’s easier said than done. Between maintaining good grades to stay eligible, giving their all in practices and games, and managing their personal lives, the life of a student-athlete can be mentally and physically exhausting. A study by the NCAA reported that athletes who specialize in a sport by the age of 12 are more likely to experience burnout.
For a Piper High School student-athlete, the pressure is all too real. “Sports and activities take a lot of time out of my day, and I don’t have a lot of time for academics or doing things I enjoy,” said junior Breckyn Shaw.
Piper High School has over 900 students, and about 52% are student-athletes. When students are struggling, some of the outlets provided by the school include counselors or the district’s mental health professional, Deneen Kelsey.
However, Piper counselors are limited in how many students they can support at once while also managing non-athlete needs. “It does get overwhelming trying to figure out time to do all of the other counseling duties,” said Piper High School counselor Anne Holt.
With so many student-athletes at Piper, the addition of a sports psychologist to the school’s mental health team could be valuable. A sports psychologist could teach student-athletes coping techniques and help them overcome mental roadblocks. Multiple staff members at Piper supported the idea of having a sports psychologist available for students.
Kelsey believes that a psychologist specifically trained in sports psychology could be even more effective in helping student-athletes.
“While I—and others like me—am trained in mental health support, someone who is specifically trained with the athlete as a focus can much more effectively figure out what is happening and how they can help,” she said.
For students balancing sports and academics, reaching out about mental health concerns can be intimidating. “It’s hard to talk to teammates or coaches about how we feel, but having a professional would allow us to be more open about our mental health and overall perform better,” Shaw said.
Powerlifting coach and strength and conditioning teacher Kevin Coker believes Piper could benefit from having a sports psychologist on hand.
“Athletes benefit when they have someone trained to support their mental performance and well-being. We have students and athletes who deal with so many things in their personal and athletic lives that anytime support can be provided, I think it benefits the student-athlete greatly,” said Coker.
In today’s world, managing one’s mental health is essential to everyday life—but many are unsure where to start. A survey by University of Michigan School of Public Health professor Daniel Eisenberg found that only 10% of student-athletes with mental health issues seek out help.
Providing a sports psychologist at Piper High School could create a more welcoming environment for student-athletes to speak up—and potentially save someone who is struggling.
