By: Dakota Rouse, NCC, MPC

Being a student-athlete is both exciting and daunting. It means living in two very different worlds as a young person while trying to perform at your best in both. Pressure comes with the territory, and yet we often fall short when it comes to giving these young athletes access to mental health support. Too often, conversations about an athlete’s mental health are full of “should haves” and “could haves” because they happen in the wake of a tragedy. Those conversations rarely happen proactively, which is why so many student-athletes find the path to mental fitness a lonely one. We can point to the existence of therapy, mental performance consulting, and counseling, but without a real and clear path to those services, few student-athletes will feel empowered to seek them out on their own. The existence of support does not guarantee its use. It is more important than ever that student-athletes have the tools to access mental health services, and that we build a culture that encourages them to use those services.

Student-athletes carry the weight of performing well in the classroom while also contributing in their sport. That often means living up to the expectations of fans in the stands and family members on the sidelines. How student-athletes carry that pressure and those anxieties is often overlooked. When most of us go home after a long day, student-athletes bring home the game, meet, or event they just competed in, and then show up to class the next morning as if it never happened. It is no surprise that many student-athletes struggle with anxiety, depression, burnout, and isolation.

Many student-athletes also worry that asking for help will make them look weak or cost them their spot on the roster. In a culture that rewards pushing through pain, reaching out can feel like giving up. Athletes already rely on coaches, trainers, and teammates to get better every day. Mental health support is no different.

We can support student-athletes from the ground floor by creating accessible spaces that address these struggles proactively. One example is free group therapy on campus designed specifically for student-athletes. One of the biggest challenges student-athletes face is feeling as though nobody understands what they are going through. A group setting gives them the chance to sit among peers who share their experience while exploring their own struggles. In fact, studies show that sport-specific group interventions demonstrate improved mental well-being, reduced stress symptoms, and increased psychological flexibility among competitive athletes. Group counseling can ease feelings of isolation and build a sense of autonomy for athletes who, for most of their lives, have been told where to be, what to do, and what to eat.

Another way to support student-athlete mental health is to address how athletes see themselves, both as competitors and as whole people. We need to help athletes build a strong sense of self outside of the locker room, because when their playing days end, that is the identity they will carry forward. Athletes have their entire lives organized for them. That structure stops suddenly on graduation day. Many former athletes feel lost and confused as they face the challenges of life outside of sport with little to no guidance. According to the Merging Vets & Players organization, “the NCAA touted in one report that 56% of its former athletes are thriving after sports. It sounds good until one considers that it leaves 44% struggling to find purpose post-sport” (Miller, 2024). Only about two percent of college athletes will go on to play professionally (Miller & Buttell, 2018), which leaves tens of thousands of former student-athletes navigating the transition away from sport every year. Numbers like these show why investing in mental health spaces for student-athletes matters.

Preparing for life after sport does not have to take anything away from the present. Research shows that planning for retirement while still competing can actually enhance an athletic career (LHH, 2023). Athletes can start by applying the mental skills they already use in their sport. Goal setting is a great example. Breaking a big goal into small, realistic steps makes it feel possible. You can’t jump from the ground to the moon, but you can rest on some stars along the way. Regular check-ins with a counselor, mentor, or peer group build accountability without adding pressure. Mentorship helps too, because seeing someone else successfully navigate the same path makes it easier for an athlete to picture their own future.

Student-athletes are so much more than what they do in lecture halls, how they perform at practice, and what they achieve in competition. It is not enough for those of us in the mental health field to offer programs and wait for athletes to find them. We need to create intentional opportunities that meet athletes where they are and guide them toward the support they deserve. Every athlete knows that no one gets better alone. Asking for help is part of the game.

Resources

Apple, Lauren & Buttell, Frederick. (2018). Are NCAA Division I Athletes Prepared for End-of-Athletic-Career Transition? A Literature Review. Journal of Evidence-Informed Social Work. 15. 52-70. 10.1080/23761407.2017.1411305.

Henderson, L., (2020) Athletes struggle to find purpose, identity after sports – MVP: Merging Vets & Players. MVP | Merging Vets & Players. 

Intartaglia, A. (2024, May 28). Finding Your Identity Outside of Sports with Mindset Coach and Endurance Trainer Whitney Miller. The Hidden Opponent’s Website. 

Planning for a career after sport. LHH. (n.d.). https://www.lhh.com/en-gb/insights/planning-for-a-career-after-sport 

Ronkainen, H., Lundgren, T., Kenttä, G., Ihalainen, J. K., Kalaja, S., Valtonen, M., &

Lappalainen, R. (2026). A sport-specific ACT group intervention for promoting athletes’ mental well-being: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 38(3), 271–296. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2025.2521267