The Problem
Remember that the student-athletes have spoken: Mental health is their No. 1 concern - and it is our responsibility to provide the services and care to help each student-athlete reach his or her full potential.
Student-athlete mental health is an under-recognized health issue, and if managed improperly, leads to poor performance in sport and the classroom, and can potentially lead to life-threatening emergencies.
Brian Hainline, MD Chief Medical Officer NCAA
90%
Only 1 of 10 student-athletes dealing with a mental health issue will seek professional help. This means that 90% of cases go untreated. (Healthy Bodies Study 2014)
100,000
collegiate student-athletes are suffering from depression right now and not seeking help (based on 460,000 student-athlete population)
24%
of DI student-athletes reported "clinically relevant" symptoms of depression (Wolanin A, Hong E, Marks D, et al. Br J Sports Med 2016)
51%
of athletes who sustained and injury reported mild-to-severe depression symptoms (Leddy MH, Lambert MJ, and Ogles BM, in Res. Q. Exerc. Sport)
Our Mission
We empower student-athletes to achieve and maintain optimal mental wellness so they can perform their best on the field, in the classroom, and in life.
This Is Our Life's Work
Our vision is a world in which no student-athlete's journey is disrupted due to insufficient access to effective mental health resources and support, or to societal stigma.
You can help us build better tools to support student-athlete mental health by answering a few short questions.
Our Game Plan
Technology
The Balance Position app motivates student-athletes to develop mindfulness and coping skills, keep track of relevant behaviors, visualize trends in their progress, and connect with people in their support network in an engaging user experience.
Program Development
We work with all stakeholders to create custom programs merging best practices and the unique needs of your organization to provide a holistic mental health program for your student-athletes.
Outreach
Through speaking engagements, workshops and other appearances, we promote mental health awareness, education, and destigmatization by sharing our own stories of struggle and perseverance with mental illness.
Stories Inspire Us
Together we can defeat stigma. Sharing our stories is a great way to start.
Every story adds strength to our cause. Add yours now.
We Support the Entire Student-Athlete Network
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Student-Athletes
Be empowered to achieve positive mental health so you can be your best on the field and in the classroom, and prevent depression & anxiety from disrupting your life.
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Parents & Family
Have peace of mind knowing your sons & daughters have the right tools to remain mentally healthy while at school and stay connected from afar.
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Teammates & Friends
Connect with your peers on mental health topics in a safe and supportive environment and have the right tools to intervene in crisis situations.
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Athletic Trainers & Team Doctors
Monitor the mental health of your student-athletes in conjunction with their physical health and be alerted to changes that might relate to concussion or other injury.
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Coaches & ADs
Healthy minds increase the potential for peak student-athlete performance on the field, improved grades and graduation rates, fewer scholarship losses, and better overall program success.
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School Administrators
Reduce your risk of student-athlete hardship withdrawals, legal actions, insurance claims, PR events, and other negative impacts.
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Physicians & Counselors
Have more efficient, data-driven interactions with your student-athlete patients and monitor the effectiveness of treatment.
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Student-Athlete Advocacy Groups
Support your progress towards the achievement of your primary mission, namely ensuring the safety of student-athletes.
What others are saying
Athletes are a segment of the student body who are at greater risk of leaving mental health issues untreated, jeopardizing their long-term health and wellbeing. It is important for universities to foster an atmosphere of support and understanding for student athletes struggling with mental illness. No one should feel afraid to seek the services and treatments they need due to social stigma.
Editorial Board, UConn Daily Campus
The athlete has unique stressors and triggers that are not found in the regular student. They're away from home, they miss holidays, they miss family events, a lot of them miss their summers. And they're in the spotlight for the most part, not only in the community or nationally but especially on campus.
Timothy Neal, Assistant Director of Athletics for Sports Medicine, Syracuse University
A Division I athletic department might have 500 to 900 student athletes under its care. We don’t send those kids to the student health center to have their ankle wrapped.
Chris Carr, counseling sports psychologist and coordinator of Sport and Performance Psychology Services at St. Vincent Sports Performance
When I look at Sasha, she was afraid, she felt that she wasn't allowed to feel this way, it wasn't OK for her to feel this way, she could not feel this way – because she was an athlete, with high standards, with a 4.0 [grade-point] average, and it could not happen to her.
Lynn Courey, mother of Sasha Menu Courey, Missouri Swimmer
We may put athletes on a pedestal and think they are superhuman, but they have the same issues we do plus issues that come as a result of their roles as athletes and as public figures. There’s the need to cooperate with a group, to perform to achieve and all the things they have to balance in addition to their course work.
William Barr, director of neuropsychology at New York University Langone Medical Center
When I was at my lowest, it was so embarrassing. I’m a DI football player who wants to play in the NFL and I can’t stop crying.
Jonathan Meldrum, Syracuse Football
I think a university that only has a counseling center … their resources are neither intense enough nor rich enough to deal with athletics, on top of which, they don't understand the culture.
John Sullivan, a consulting psychologist for Providence College and the University of Rhode Island athletic departments
Many athletic programs have medical staffs of more than a dozen people, only 22 (out of 345) Division I athletic departments have a full-time licensed mental health practitioner on staff.
Nicole Noren, ESPN
According to NAMI, 64% of college students who have dropped out of school did so for mental health reasons. 45% of student-athletes who drop out do so because of mental health reasons
Bimidji State University research
Success
We don't measure success primarily by the number of Balance Position student-athletes that go on to become professional athletes or business leaders. Success for us simply means you've been able to explore your full potential as a student and athlete while in great mental health and on your timetable so you can get on with your life's work, whatever that may be.