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.
To visit our Mental Wellness topic page, click here.
TRUESPORT TALKS: RECORDED SESSIONS
ARTICLES
How to Prevent a Workaholic Culture from Ruining Youth Sport
Unfortunately, workaholism is a term that’s no longer reserved for adults, and our experts are finding that young athletes and student-athletes can easily fall into
How to Best Support Student-Athlete Mental Wellness and Why It Matters
More conversations are happening about the importance of mental wellness for student-athletes, and mental health is increasingly talked about in similar ways as physical health.
Do You Know How to Practice Communal Care?
You’ve probably heard of self-care, but have you heard the term ‘communal care’? As a member of a team, whether you’re in a leadership role
5 Ways Physical Health Impacts Mental Health
Physical and mental health are closely linked, and the relationship between them goes both ways. Whether an athlete is dealing with acute or chronic injury
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
VIDEOS
DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES
Humanizing Sport: Best Practices Guide to Support Student-Athlete Mental Wellness and Resilience for Anyone with an Athlete in their Life
The purpose of this report is to highlight current challenges in sport that hinder student-athlete mental wellness, and to provide human-centered, values-based opportunities for growth and improvement for all stakeholders across sport. These recommendations are evidence-based and prioritize the development of mental wellness and resilience in student-athletes across ages and competition levels, in public and private, and community and school-based sports. Challenges and opportunities are outlined according to levels of influence present in sport culture today.
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.