Mental Health Advice: Tips for Supporting Student-Athletes During COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic is impacting student-athletes beyond their ability to remain active; it is also affecting their mental health as uncertain continues around when they will be able to practice and compete again.

NCSA’s President Lisa Strasman, a former captain of Yale women’s ice hockey team and a mother of two student-athletes, recently sat down with licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Rebecca Kennedy for a special episode of NCSA Live. Together, they addressed the challenges that families with aspiring student-athletes are faced at this time and provided helpful coping strategies for families and athletes.

You can watch the entire NCSA Live episode or skip to a specific section listed below here.

Recap Notes:
03:15 – This is a really hard time
06:51 – Allow the tough experience
09:11 – How to help when your kids are feeling sad
15:50 – How hard to push
20:37 – Motivation during crisis
26:36 – Tips for parents to help themselves
37:25 – How to help when your kids are feeling angry

There’s a lot of information to absorb here, and if you’re looking for more, you can find it on our coronavirus resources page and the NCSA blog. You can also follow Doctor Becky on Instagram @drbeckyathome.