While the concerns around athlete mental health and wellbeing continue to garner national attention, the youth sport landscape lacks clear direction for coaches, parents/guardians, and athletes as to how to respond to those challenges. Use the resources below to explore mental wellness through the lens of youth sport as discussed at the TrueSport Talks Symposiums.
Trigger Warning: The following resources discuss mental wellness, mental health, and mental health challenges. Some people may find this content triggering and some content may not be suitable for all ages.
Use the buttons below to jump to the various sections of this mental wellness resource page.
TRUESPORT TALKS: RECORDED SESSIONS
2022 Symposium - Mental Wellness and the Student-Athlete
Session 1: Training from the Neck Up- Student-Athletes and Mental Wellness, featuring Dr. Candice Williams.
Session 2: Competing Well- Athletes and Mental Wellness featuring Charley Nordin, Cailin Bracken, and Geoff Kelly.
Session 3: The Invisible Opponent- Contending for Student-Athlete Wellbeing with Dr. Kevin Chapman, Dr. Erin Haugen, Melissa Streno, Psyd, and Charron Sumler.
Session 4: Systems of Support | UNCUT: Healthy Sport Environment by Design with Dr. Amanda Stanec, Michael Kreuger, Ed.S, CMAA, Dr. Bhrett McCabe, Lt. Col. Steven Pipes, USAFA Ret., Allison Schmitt, OLY
Session 5: Sports as a Solution- Practical Guidelines that Drive Meaningful Change with Jess Kirby, PhD, Dr. Kevin Chapman and Dr. Deborah Gilboa.
*Please note, the first five minutes are missing from this recording. We apologize for the inconvenience.
2021 Symposium - Mental Wellness and the Young Athlete: The Path Forward
ARTICLES

Why and How to Prioritize Sleep for Mental Wellness
Whether in high school or in college, your athletes are probably not getting enough sleep to maximize their potential at practice and on gameday. As

Athletic Trainers: Recovery Tips for Physical and Mental Wellness
As an athletic trainer (AT), you play a unique role in a young athlete’s life. You typically have significant insight into an athlete’s health and

How Sport Can Help Athletes Cope with Community Trauma
Unfortunately, the world of sport is not without risk: Even the most highly monitored athletes can fall victim to illness and injury. When Buffalo Bills

Is Your Student Athlete Overscheduled this Summer?
Is your athlete juggling a summer job, training camps, off-season competitions, summer classes, volunteer hours, and maybe some down time with friends? It’s easy for

How Parents Can Manage their Own Sport Anxiety
If you’re an athlete’s parent or guardian, you likely feel the same pre-competition nerves and jitters that your athlete does. You may notice that in

How to Cope with Disappointments in Sport
Maybe you’ve heard your coach tell you to ‘walk it off’ or ’shake it off’ when something went wrong during a game, or you lost
VIDEOS
ADDITIONAL EXPERT RESOURCES
LINKS
U.S. Center for Mental Health & Sport: https://mentalhealthandsport.org/resources/
National Center for School Mental Health: https://www.schoolmentalhealth.org/
National Alliance on Mental Illness: https://www.nami.org
National Child Traumatic Stress Network: https://www.nctsn.org/
Apps for Smart Phones
- The Safe Place – Free smartphone app focused on psychoeducation and self-care for minority mental health, geared towards the Black community.
- Liberate – Free meditation app designed specifically for the BIPOC community and led by BIPOC teachers.
- MindShift – Free “cheerleader in your pocket” for teens and young adults with anxiety.
- Happify – Free games, activities, and gratitude prompts to help overcome negative thoughts and improve mood.
- Breathe2Relax – Stress management tool to decrease “fight-or-flight” stress. response.
Content is inspired by the 2021 TrueSport Talks: Mental Wellness & the Young Athlete: The Path Forward, with media support from Sports Engine.