University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
BeBulldogBrave: Coaches
Mental health is one’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being, which influences how they feel, think, and even act. Although some people struggle with a diagnosable mental health disorder, mental health is about much more than whether or not a person has a disorder. One’s mental well-being can be looked at as a spectrum or continuum, from resilience and thriving to severe impairment. Even when they are struggling, how much they struggle also exists along a spectrum - from stress, to distress, to disorder. Throughout one’s life or even throughout the course of a single day one’s mental health can fluctuate along this spectrum. Many people believe that they have to wait until they have a disorder in order to seek out support, but people can and should seek out support regardless of where they are on this continuum. The goal with mental health is to keep an individual as well as possible, regardless of if they struggle with a diagnosable disorder.
Struggling with mental health does not make someone any less capable of being an outstanding athlete. Just like you help your athletes to excel in your sport, mental health resources, including working with a mental health provider, can help your athletes to excel in their mental, emotional, and social life. Being mentally tough includes being vulnerable. Addressing mental health is no less important than addressing sport-specific coaching, physical health, strength and conditioning, or nutrition. It is all part of peak performance! It is also essential to student-athlete retention and academic success.
“For athletes, you want to try to turn over every stone possible to be at the best of your ability. So, if there’s a doctor or counselor who can help you, why not turn over that stone? Having a culture conducive to mental health is big. … We’re all human, and I think the more we talk about mental health, the better.”
~ Rick Ankiel, Former MLB Center Fielder, Right Fielder, and Pitcher
Why does a Coach’s Mental Health matter?
Your mental health is just as important as your players’. Just because you are older and have been in the game longer (both life and your sport) does not mean that you are immune to struggling yourself. Your players look up to you and will look to you as a role model of what it means to excel in a sport and in life. Taking care of yourself and reaching out for support when you need it is an essential part of modeling the importance of mental health to your athletes.
“Everyone is going through something that we can’t see. The thing is, because we can’t see it, we don’t know who’s going through what and we don’t know when, and we don’t always know why. Mental health is an invisible thing, but it touches all of us at some point or another. It’s part of life.”
~Kevin Love, NBA 5-time All-Star
For support in finding mental health care for you or your athletes, please contact:
Dr. Laura K. Jones, Mental Health Coordinator: ljones3@unca.edu
or
Dr. Jadarius (JD) Jackson, Mental Health Advisor: jadarius.jackson@gmail.com
Resources for Coaches
Signs and Indicators:
Why are indicators so important to look out for?
Understanding and being knowledgeable about indicators to look out for in your athletes is extremely crucial. Warning signs can easily go unnoticed, and in athletes, the indicators, signs, and risk factors can look a bit different than in non-athlete populations. this can lead to detrimental outcomes. The purpose of this document is to make sure these warning signs are seen, heard and understood. Sometimes athletes are unable to ask for help verbally, but show signs physically and through their day to day actions. These documents will help you become aware of what to look out for.
Communication:
Why learning to communicate with my players matter:
Learning effective ways to communicate with athletes is a big part of what makes a great coach. Athletes are learning and growing into adults so it is important they feel supported and appreciated. Behind every athlete is a human being and every human being responds to different kinds of communication. As a coach you want to bring the best out of each athlete in order to have success, because of this it is important to learn the best ways to communicate with them.
A lot of coaching involves talking, and presenting information to your players. While this is an extremely important part of the job it is also important to listen. Just as much as you teach, you should listen. Making sure your athletes feel heard and seen is an integral part of individual and team success. There are certain ways to show your athletes that your care and that you are invested in their journey.