A Message from VARA Alum

MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH

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May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, a time dedicated to spotlighting the importance of mental well-being. As someone deeply passionate about destigmatizing mental health and equipping coaches working with young athletes with the necessary tools and resources, I am excited to share the second email from Heidi Robbins, a VARA Alum and Psychologist, for an educational series focused solely on this topic. Over the series, Heidi will provide insights, strategies, tips, and tools to empower coaches, athletes, and individuals on their mental health journey. Join us as we champion mental health awareness and resilience.

TIP FOR COACHES AND PARENTS

HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH ATHLETES WHO MAY BE STRUGGLING

In this second email, Heidi Robbins, a VARA Alum, offers valuable tips for coaches and parents on supporting youth in sports and life. Coaches often encounter unfamiliar situations with their athletes. The tips below will help parents and coaches effectively communicate and address behaviors that may stem from underlying mental health challenges.

Tips For Supporting Mental Health

Normalize conversations about mental health within the team culture. Remember that taking care of mental health does not mean that we are keeping people happy all the time. It’s more about building the capacity to tolerate and work through adversity and challenges.

Recognize that problematic behavior has emotional underpinnings. There’s always more to the story for athletes presenting with issues like negativity, avoidance, excuses, perfectionism, anxiety, anger, or peer relationship problems.

When an athlete is struggling mentally, approach them with connection and curiosity. Reflect and observe what you notice and invite open conversation about what is happening for them. Meet them where they are first. Listen and ask questions with a genuine desire to understand.

Encourage athletes to self-reflect and give them space to express their feelings. Respect if an athlete isn’t able to talk about an issue at that moment. Revisit the issue when emotions are less heightened.

Model healthy coping and good sportsmanship. Repair relationships with athletes after difficult interactions and model accountability for your actions. Encourage athletes to do the same in their relationships.

Urge athletes to access support at times of vulnerability to build skills that expand their capacity to stay engaged through adversity. Use process focus to help athletes identify the growth opportunities in their hardships.

Create opportunities for self-reflection that facilitate intrinsic reward. Help athletes learn to look inside to recognize positives rather than always relying on external validation.

Be open-minded and inclusive around issues related to gender identity, sexual orientation, race, and socioeconomic status.

Issue consequences for problem behaviors that create opportunities for skill-building and reparation rather than inducing shame.

Prioritize athlete well-being over athletic performance and encourage athletes to advocate for what they need in healthy ways.

Seek professional help if you are concerned about an athlete’s mental health.

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Stay Tuned for the final email from Heidi, which will be filled with helpful resources.

Want some training?

Check out Mental Health First Aid training. This is a great resource for those coaches, mentors, or parents working with athletes. Mental Health First Aid provides critical training opportunities and a certificate for course completion. https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/

Contribution by: Heidi Robbins VARA Alum & Licensed Psychologist

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-BIO-

I grew up skiing for the Pico Ski Club and moved on to KMS for high school. I was very supported by VARA along the way! I’ve stayed connected to ski racing by coaching on weekends at Pico, and for the past 6 years, I’ve been at Cochran's. I graduated from St. Lawrence University with a BA in psychology with a minor in sports studies and then went on to earn a Master's in Clinical Psychology at Saint Michael’s College. I competed on the NCAA circuit for St. Lawrence and Saint Michaels due to an injury that gave me an extra year of eligibility to ski in grad school. The mental struggle of recovering from injury was a driving force in becoming a therapist. I became a licensed psychologist in 2016 and started my own practice in 2018. My practice focuses on children and young adults with a special interest in working with athletes dealing with a range of mental health issues. I now live in the Mad River Valley with my wife and 2-year-old daughter.

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Mental Health Awareness Month

Thank You, Sponsors!

[VARA] | [802.236.4695] | [julie@vara.org] | [vara.org]

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