Prioritize mental health—student athletes need help

September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and as a college student-athlete, I believe it is crucial we take the time to recognize the severity of mental health matters now and every month.

CSB+SJU has many resources and services available for students, but there’s always room for improvement. Universities play a pivotal role in supporting their athletes. Therefore, CSB+SJU should begin implementing weekly mental health checkins for athletes and having a mental health specialist present at every game.

In Aug. 2021, the Cleveland Clinic published an article detailing the importance of mental health in athletes. When asked how mental health can affect athletic performance, sports psychologist Dr. Matthew Sacco responded by describing how a mental health matter can serve as a distraction to an athlete, which can be extremely dangerous. It is important for athletes to take care of themselves both mentally and physically.

One way we could monitor the mental well-being of athletes is by having a counselor present at games. Similar to how an athletic trainer is always present at games, a mental health specialist should be available as well. Some may argue this would be pointless because they most likely wouldn’t have to help anyone.

However, athletic trainers usually don’t have many injuries to tend to in a game but are still required to be there in case something happens. Therefore, if a student-athlete’s physical health is equally important as their mental health, I think resources should be available for athletes in either time of crisis.

How many stories have you heard or people do you know where someone died by suicide and no one even knew they were struggling? Checking in on your loved ones can make a world of difference, but we often overlook this simple task. Sometimes all a person needs is for someone to reach out.

At CSB+SJU, numerous services are available for those struggling, but not everyone can take that initial step and ask for help. Mental health check-ins would be highly beneficial to student-athletes and I think this small task should be added to CSB+SJU sports.

Coaches should also have a one-onone check-in every week or two with their athletes to monitor how everything is going. The stress of being a full-time student and playing varsity athletics can be intense in college. Therefore, if a coach has an idea of how their athlete is doing mentally, they can serve as a resource for that person. It is vital to have a coaching staff that understands the importance of their athletes’ mental health.

CSB+SJU should incorporate mental health check-ins and have counselors at games to promote the mental well-being of all CSB+SJU student-athletes. These two changes would have an overwhelmingly positive impact on student athletes.