To support NCAA members in implementing mental health best practices, the NCAA Sports Science Institute hosted a webinar series featuring examples of ways to consider supporting and promoting mental health of student-athletes.
SSI’s Spotlight on Best Practices in Mental Health included five sessions that highlighted practical implementation strategies on campus and explored the updated guidance provided in the latest version of the Best Practices, which should be approved in January.
Throughout the series, NCAA Chief Medical Officer Brian Hainline spoke with administrators, coaches, clinical advisors, representatives from national nonprofit organizations, former student-athletes and members of the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports to discuss current implementation strategies and ask questions on potential updates to mental health best practices.
The recordings from the five Spotlight on Best Practices in Mental Health series are as follows:
Last September, Hainline held a discussion, Mental health and sport: why it matterswith U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, men’s Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and women’s Grand Slam tennis champion Naomi Osaka regarding the intersection of mental health and sports, including a detailed discussion on social media.
“Mental health issues impact student-athletes, faculty and staff in diverse ways, and the NCAA plays a leadership role in providing solutions based on evidence and consensus,” Hainline said.
Attendees of the 2024 NCAA Convention can expect to learn more about this topic on January 10 during two SSI training sessions focused on promoting mental health among student-athletes.