Information For Parents
Why student athletes reach out for support
- Individual Counseling
- Examples
- Homesickness
- Anxiety
- Difficulties adjusting to college athlete life
- Self-Care maintenance
- Depression/Sadness
- Dysfunctional eating
- Culture & Identity Development
- Race or Ethnicity
- Women
- LGBTQ+
- Religion & Spirituality
- Disability & Ability
- Interpersonal Relationships & Dating
- Low Confidence & Self Esteem
- Lack of Motivation
- Substance Use
- Anger Management
- Examples
- Sport Psychology
- Examples
- Mental Performance
- Performance Anxiety
- Slumps
- Team cohesion
- Communication styles
- Team Culture
- Improve coach relationship
- Examples
When to suggest to your student athlete to seek mental health services
- Increase in disregulated mood/behavior
- Withdrawal from usual interests/friends
- Decrease in daily functioning more days than not
- Increase substance use
- Talking about self-harm
- Decrease in eating/sleeping
- Direct or indirect mentioning to suicide (call CAPS immediately)
Healthy Boundaries for parents of a college student athlete
- Establish healthy boundaries
- College athletes will be seen as independent adults who are able to advocate for themselves. Please encourage your student athlete to seek support from faculty, staff, coaches etc. on their own.
- Give them space
- Respect your student athletes space, both academically and athletically. Don't email or make calls to professors/coaches unless it's a true emergency
- Remind them of their ability
- Help them cope! Remind them of how they got through tough times in the past. Ask them what is an adaptive way to make themselves feel better.
- Know your resources and coach your adult child to reach out for appropriate support.
