Fostering the Mental Health of Athletes, Coaches, and Staff

A Systems Approach to Developing a Mentally Healthy Sport Organization

Charles A. Maher

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9780367746766
• eBook ISBN: 9781000632248
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Applied Psychology
• Index: Psychology

This book describes a systems approach for fostering the mental health of athletes, coaches, and staff in sport organizations at professional, collegiate, and secondary school levels. Through this approach, readers can collaborate effectively with a range of professionals in sport organizations, helping to create a mentally healthy entity.

Fostering the Mental Health of Athletes, Coaches, and Staff includes a set of sequential, interrelated chapters that detail precise steps along with practitioner exercises. Following an introductory chapter about the evolution of mental health in sport organizations, the systems approach is overviewed in terms of its constituent dimensions. Chapter-by-chapter guidance then is provided about the following activities:

• Creating a vision and direction for mental health in a sport organization
• Assessing the readiness of a sport organization for mental health initiatives
• Identifying and involving people as key contributors to mental health
• Assessing the mental and emotional development of athletes, coaches, and staff
• Designing and implementing mental health programs and services
• Educating and training coaches, staff, and administrators about mental health
• Establishing a team environment conducive to mental health
• Formulating and enacting mental health policies, plans, and procedures
• Coordinating mental skills, life skills, and mental health
• Evaluating mental health programs and services
• Making decisions about improving mental health initiatives

Through its unique and important nature and scope, as well as being the first of its kind to discuss athlete mental health through this specific lens, this book is essential for licensed sport, clinical, and counseling psychologists, as well as other professionals who communicate and collaborate regarding mental health, including mental performance consultants, athletic trainers, and administrators.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Endorsements Page
• Half-Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• One Charting the Parameters of Mental Health in Sport Organizations
• Two Taking a Systems Approach to Mental Health in Sport Organizations
• Three Creating a Vision and Direction for Promoting Positive Mental Health
• Four Assessing the Readiness of a Sport Organization for Mental Health Initiatives
• Five Identifying and Gaining Commitments of Individuals Who Can Contribute to Mental Health
• Six Assessing the Mental and Emotional Development of Athletes in a Sport Organization
• Seven Designing and Implementing Mental Health Programs and Services
• Eight Educating and Training Coaches and Staff as Mental Health Contributors
• Nine Establishing and Sustaining a Team Environment in Support of Mental Health
• Ten Formulating and Enacting Mental Health Policies, Plans, and Procedures at the Organizational Level
• Eleven Coordinating Mental Skills, Life Skills, and Mental Health Programs and Services
• Twelve Evaluating Mental Health Programs as a Basis for Their Continuous Development and Improvement
• Thirteen Making Decisions about the Continuous Development and Improvement of Mental Health Programs in Sport Organizations
• Fourteen Conclusion
• References
• Appendix A: Example of a Crisis and Emergency Action Plan for a Sport Organization
• Appendix B: Sample Evaluable Program Design for a Mental Health Program
• Index