Featured Picture: Austrian Ladies’s Staff at FIS Alpine World Ski Championships Saalbach 2025, Ski Austria kick off.
Within the fast-paced, excessive, and high-pressure world of ski racing, psychological resilience will be as essential as bodily conditioning. But, behind bashing gates and podium finishes, many athletes silently grapple with psychological well being challenges that usually go unnoticed or unaddressed.
Whereas the dialog round psychological well being in sport is increasing, the method of referring athletes to psychological well being companies, particularly earlier than a hectic, and even traumatic occasion happens, is constantly ignored.
Luna Ugrenović, Ph.D., EMDR-T, LAPC, CMPC, retired NCAA champion rower and coach, studied psychological well being referral experiences in collegiate sport. Particularly, she explored how athletes’ identities and relationships inside sport affected referral experiences and outcomes, and consequently total psychological well being tradition, in sport.
The findings of her research emphasised how early and intentional engagement can form athletes’ willingness to hunt psychological well being assist and their total well-being.
Ugrenović defined, “Sustaining good well being, whether or not it’s bodily or psychological, is essential for high-performers, regardless of if you’re an athlete or not. Being uncovered to psychological well being companies early, earlier than crises come up, helps to cut back stigma and boundaries to looking for psychological well being help in occasions of want.”
Dr. Ugrenović’s Analysis Overview
Primarily based on in-depth interviews with collegiate athletes who’ve been referred by these of their rapid sport environments (e.g., teammates or assist workers), Ugrenović discovered that early, considerate referral conversations, lengthy earlier than issues hit a breaking level, could make an actual distinction in whether or not athletes really feel secure, supported, and able to ask for assist.
The athletes additionally described what they want most in these moments: a way of alternative, connection, and understanding.
When these wants have been met, referrals didn’t simply result in companies; they led to therapeutic and de-stigmatization of psychological well being help-seeking.
“The research confirmed that referral conversations could be a highly effective and therapeutic instrument which will change an athlete’s self-perception and relationship with their psychological well being.”
By shifting away from last-minute interventions and towards proactive, customized assist, this research presents a roadmap for significant and efficient referral conversations, and in flip constructing psychological wellness.
In simplified phrases, Fundamental Psychological Wants Concept (BPNT) means that three common fundamental psychological wants (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness) are important for people to thrive, be resilient, and fulfilled.
When all three of those wants are met, you’re feeling extra assured, motivated, and able to deal with challenges.
“I designed my qualitative research with the lens of BPNT, which could be very efficient in predicting constructive change. I requested whether or not satisfying these wants allowed athletes to be extra open to these referral conversations and proposals, and what components influenced these wants.”
A couple of questions she believes groups, applications, and organizations might ask to undertake a proactive strategy to psychological well being referrals and to think about whether or not they’re assembly these wants embody:
Do the athletes really feel like they’ve a way of alternative?
Do the athletes worth these decisions?
Do they really feel linked to the referrer?
Do the athletes have a way of belonging inside their sport organizations?
Do the athletes have the instruments and competencies required to efficiently search companies?
What are the ability variations between coaches, different workers, and the athletes that affect athletes’ openness to hunt companies?
By usually reflecting on these questions, groups and organizations can hopefully create a extra supportive surroundings that each promotes psychological wellness and empowers athletes to thrive.
Importantly, Ugrenović discovered that many of those wants will be met by fostering a robust psychological well being tradition inside sport. This tradition acknowledges the significance of psychological well being, normalizes difficulties and looking for assist for them, and prepares athletes for what to do subsequent.
Why Ought to Alpine Ski Groups Care About This?
The reply is impactful. When athletes really feel seen, heard, and supported in these core psychological wants, they’re extra more likely to search assist when wanted.
Moreover, they may keep resilient by means of setbacks and carry out at their highest potential each on and off the hill.
Discovering Success in Athlete-to-Athlete Referrals
Ugrenović discovered that the supply of referral issues.
She discovered that peer-to-peer referrals have been simpler than these from authority figures (e.g., coaches), as they really feel extra relatable and fewer intimidating.
This data highlights a robust alternative for groups.
Foster a tradition the place athletes assist one another, even in a person sport. Encouraging open conversations and peer-led assist could make an actual distinction to athletes’ openness to looking for psychological well being assets.
By normalizing psychological well being discussions inside the group, athletes develop into allies in one another’s well-being, which creates a stronger, extra linked workforce and people.
What If Psychological Well being Sources Are Restricted?
When the referral course of is profitable and the athlete is open to looking for assist, the subsequent step will be difficult. Discovering the correct psychological well being assets turns into even tougher when entry or funding is restricted.
Ugrenović’s research means that golf equipment, academies, and groups can begin small by figuring out:
Professionals or non-profit organizations who wish to are available for a seasonal workshop or one-time talks.
Platforms reminiscent of Psychology Immediately to assist discover insurance-covered and budget-friendly psychological well being professionals within the space.
Locations that supply free companies in instances of maltreatment (e.g., SafeSport).
On the collegiate degree, sport psychotherapists, graduate college students, or early-career practitioners who can provide diminished charges or professional bono work.
Providers which can be already lined by pupil charges (e.g., counseling facilities) and different companies particular to athletes (e.g., suppliers embedded inside athletic departments)
Having a robust basis for the referral course of is a vital first step in encouraging athletes to think about and pursue these psychological well being assets.
Nevertheless, continuously having and inspiring these conversations, and being ready for what to do subsequent, will be essential to making sure long-term success for athletes, each on and off the hill.
General, a proactive strategy with referral engagement is crucial to constructing sturdy, high-performance athletes. “Failure is a part of each sport, and a approach to have the ability to deal with that’s to have good coping assets able to go in your toolbox. The aim is to be in pretty much as good of a headspace as doable. It will assist athletes develop stronger from setbacks, which we are going to all encounter in life.”
