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Improve the Mental Wellbeing of Student-Athletes with MHFA

Apply for Funded Training for Your Athletics Staff!

As a trusted figure in the lives of your student-athletes, your impact goes beyond practice and competition. With the right training, you can help support their mental wellbeing as effectively as you support their physical health.

That’s why the NCAA® engaged the National Council for Mental Wellbeing to provide Division III head coaches and athletic trainers with fully funded Adult Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training.

By taking a funded Adult MHFA training, your Athletics staff will learn how to:

  • Recognize common signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges.
  • Learn the five-step MHFA Action Plan (ALGEE).
  • Know how to interact with a person in crisis.
  • Connect athletes with the help they need.
  • Take care of your own mental wellbeing through self-care practices.

Please submit an inquiry form to get started.

Submit a Training Request

Please enter your school’s information to get in touch with our team. We will review your request based on the funded training requirements and get back to you soon. Note: At this time, funded training is only available for NCAA Division III schools.

Who Qualifies for the Funded Training?

  • Up to 30 individuals at each NCAA Division III active member institution with a specific focus on:
    • Head coaches
    • Athletic trainers

Course Details:

  • Pre-work: Complete an introductory module through our online learning management system (LMS).
  • Instructor-led Session: Attend a 5.5-hour, in-person training session with expert Instructors on your school’s campus.
  • Post-work: Finish with post-work and an evaluation in the LMS.
  • Certification: Upon completion, your staff will be certified in Adult MHFA!

Student-athlete Mental Wellbeing

The mental health challenges student-athletes face are often invisible and go unnoticed until they reach a breaking point. As a coach or athletic trainer, you are in a unique position to spot early signs and intervene before the issues escalate.

1 in 3

U.S. adults ages 18-25 experienced a mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic. (1)

9.2M

About 9.2 million young adults ages 18 to 25 experienced a substance use disorder in the past year. (2)

50%

Over 50% of coaches reported feeling inadequately prepared to help student-athletes with mental health concerns. (3)

80%

Over 80% of coaches said they spend more time on supporting student-athletes’ mental health, as it is their top concern. (4)

By participating in a funded Adult MHFA training, you will learn how to identify, understand and respond to early signs that a person may be facing a mental health or substance use challenge.

“In this population, I have found that the knowledge gained as part of the MHFA program has helped decrease the stigma related to mental illness in Athletics, and the skills and techniques have empowered coaches to approach athletes with their concerns and encourage them to seek professional mental health services.”  

Jennifer Ostrowski, PhD, LAT, ATC, Moravian University

“As someone who is certified in MHFA, I see first-hand how the concepts and training can be beneficial within college life, as well as in Athletics. For many college athletes, they see the trainers and coaches as their closest and most trusted adult figures on campus. Having them trained in MHFA can only provide a benefit to Athletics staff and student athletes.”

Judith LeDoux, Anna Maria College 

“As an athletic trainer, mental health is as much a part of my job as physical health. The opportunity to be a MHFA Instructor for my Athletics department as well as campus community felt as natural as being a CPR/AED instructor. MHFA equips coaches, ATs, Admin and any other student-forward employee with the ability to recognize when a student needs support or resources, as well as the confidence to activate proper resources in a crisis.”

Catie Gilman, Mount Holyoke College 

About Our Initiative

The NCAA engaged the National Council for Mental Wellbeing to provide Division III head coaches and athletic trainers with Adult Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) trainings to help support the mental wellbeing of student-athletes nationwide. These trainings will also focus on building mental health literacy, supporting the long-term mental wellness of teams and reducing the stigma around mental health.

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  • Mental Health First Aid training has taught the officer to ask his charges, “What happened?” instead of, “What’s wrong with you?”” –Officer Orlando Singleton
  • So many people are out there wishing for something better, hoping that help will show up. That’s what Mental Health First Aid is – it is help to get people connected to care and ultimately to get them to a better place.” –Tousha Paxton-Barnes, U.S. Army Veteran
  • I wish that every corrections officer could receive Mental Health First Aid training. I believe that our corrections system would be better because of it – the inmates would benefit, the officers would benefit and ultimately our communities would benefit.” –Lt. Virgil Meyer, Lieutenant, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections
  • As adults, we sometimes forget how hard it was being an adolescent. When we see a kid who is just miserable at school, we might think they choose to be that way – or that it’s just part of adolescence. But in fact, they might be in a mental health crisis, one they certainly did not choose and do not want. When a teacher says “how can I be helpful,” that is a powerful question. ” –Alyssa Fruchtenicht, School-Based Mental Health Counselor
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