HOW CAN PARENTS TELL IF YOUR STUDENT-ATHLETE IS STRUGGLING WITH THEIR MENTAL HEALTH?
Parenting a teenager is challenging with hormonal changes and mood swings. Add in the pressure of playing one or more sports plus the academic side of school, and it is easy to see why some students-athletes will struggle with their mental health.
Sitting on the sidelines watching your child participate in athletic competition is suppose to be a fun experience. Oftentimes, parents are left not enjoying going to games after watching their son/daughter sweat year round only to see minimal playing time.
Dr. Steve Graef, a Columbus-based sports psychologist and performance coach, who is the owner of Mindurance, a collection of mental fitness communities dedicated to helping like-minded people develop mental fitness through virtual group coaching and online communities . Dr. Graef provides tips for parents to monitor their kids mental health in a positive.
Dr. Graef's advice is to provide empathy for your student-athlete. He also suggest putting yourself in your athlete's shoes. Dr. Graef will provide videos and tips sheets to help parents navigate ways to be supportive of their athlete's mental health while also helping to recognize signs he or she maybe struggling.
Dr. Steve Graef
VIDEOS
- What is the mental health of your athlete?
- How does a parent support their student-athlete through an injury?
- How can parents can their child communicate with their coach?
- How can parents help navigate their child playing multiple sports?
- How can parents guide their child through posting on social media?
- A road map for parents to enjoy senior season
- How can parents enjoy the season without placing too much pressure on their athlete?
- Can parents help prepare their athlete for conditioning before the season starts?
- How can parents support their athlete who goes through body image changes in season?
- How parents can help their athlete and themselves manage anxiety before an athletic contest.
- How can parents enjoy sports without experiencing burnout?
TIP SHEETS
- Parents are role models for sportsmanship
- Substance Use among athletes
- How can a parent prevent sports burnout?
- What is mental health? Why does it matter?
- How do you relate to your child's injury?
- Parents helping athletes understand their coaches
- Parents managing multi-sport athletes
- How can parents monitor social media?
- How parents can enjoy their athlete's senior year?
- How parents can manage the pressure placed on athlete?
- How can parents help managing conditioning workouts?
- How Parents can managing childs athletic journey
- Eating disorders and sport
- What is a parent’s role in minimizing an athlete’s performance anxiety?
