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Shaantanu
Dec 30, 20247 min read

Free Mental Health Resource

This article forms part of the The Stillness Huddle — a space for sport psychology and mental training resources and tools for athletes, coaches, sport science professionals, parents, and students. 
Note: If you are in severe psychological distress, kindly contact a crisis prevention helpline in your country/region and seek immediate professional psychological and/or medical services. It is recommended to be familiar with the various organizations, their scope of work and support offerings, and the helpline contact details in advance in case of emergencies.

Summary

  • The key purpose of this community resource is to encourage awareness about mental health through providing information about the major mental health organizations and support programs in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and India

  • Crisis prevention helpline details

  • Mental health initiatives and resources by sport organizations

  • Courses related to mental health in sport

  • Roundup of stories of athlete mental health


Organizations in Canada

  • Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)

  • Mental Health Commission of Canada

  • Youth Mental Health Canada (YMHC)

  • Ontario Association of Mental Health Professionals (OAMHP)

  • Children’s Mental Health Ontario (CMHO)

  • Government of Ontario Find Mental Health Support

  • Addictions and Mental Health Ontario

  • The Centre for Addictions and Mental Health (CAMH)


Crisis Prevention


Mental Health in Sport

  • Canadian Centre for Mental Health in Sport (CCMHS)

  • Coaching Association of Canada’s Mental Health and Sport Resource and Event Hub

  • Mental Health Strategy for High Performance Sport in Canada

  • Coaching Association of Canada’s Safe Sport Training

  • The Sport Information Resource Centre’s (SIRC) Safe Sport Resources

  • Canadian Sport institute Pacific’s (CSI Pacific) Mental Health for High Performance Sport

 

Organizations in the United States

  • Mental Health America (MHA)

  • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

  • National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

  • National Council for Mental Wellbeing

  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)


Crisis Prevention


Mental Health in Sport

 

Organizations in the United Kingdom


Crisis Prevention


Mental Health in Sport

 

Organizations in India


Crisis Prevention

 

Courses


Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash

Stories of Athlete Mental Health


  1. Danny Rose, English footballer/soccer player

It’s no secret that I’ve been through a testing time at Tottenham this season…It led to me seeing a psychologist and I was diagnosed with depression, which nobody knows about. I had to get away from Tottenham. I’m lucky that England gave me that opportunity to get away, refresh my mind and I’ll always be grateful to them. I was on medication for a few months – nobody knows about that apart from my agent – but I’m off the medication now, I’m good again and looking forward to how far we can go in Russia. — in The Guardian

  1. Michael Phelps, American swimmer

For me, when I get in dark spots, I just feel alone. I know when people have depression that is normal. There are times where I will dive into pretty deep depression, but I think I’ve found different tools to help me when I’m in that state. I journal a lot. Those journal entries are a little weird to look at. But I’m glad I do them on those bad days, because I want to see what my mind was like. I want to see what I’m going through.— in Sports Illustrated

  1. Naomi Osaka, Japanese tennis player

Perhaps we should give athletes the right to take a mental break from media scrutiny on a rare occasion without being subject to strict sanctions. In any other line of work, you would be forgiven for taking a personal day here and there, so long as it’s not habitual. You wouldn’t have to divulge your most personal symptoms to your employer; there would likely be HR measures protecting at least some level of privacy.— in Time Magazine

  1. Caileigh Filmer, Canadian rower

One hundred days out to the Olympics in Tokyo, I was in a dark place spiraling downwards. My worst moments were the thoughts of sitting on the start line at the Olympics, not excited to race, and praying for it to be over. I couldn’t see myself making it to Tokyo, let alone making it through the 2000-metre race. My smile was gone again. I had learned how to help improve my mental health before, but my depression returned.— in The Canadian Olympic Committee

5. Gianluigi Buffon, Italian footballer/soccer player

My luck is that if I am in a difficult situation I am not ashamed to show my weak side. Therefore I don’t shut myself off. For me a great cure in that situation (depression) was to talk freely about it apart from the Juventus doctor. I talked to my father, my mother, with my sisters, with my brothers-in-law, with my girlfriend, with two or three friends. And I remember that every time I talked about this thing, this illness, I felt like a touch of affection. I felt like a weight lifted off my shoulder.— in The Players’ Tribune

  1. Simone Biles, American gymnast

It's really important to use that support system and know they're there for you and not against you, because at the end of the day, us as humans, we hate asking for help. We think we can do it on our own, but sometimes we just can't. So use every outlet given to you.— in The Olympics

  1. Tin-Tin Ho, British table tennis player

I've never revealed this before, but I've had a lot of issues with food. At first I was very strict with what I was eating, then it went the other way with what some people would call binge eating and I think it all got a bit out of hand.— in BBC

  1. Glenn Maxwell, Australian cricketer

I was pretty cooked when I decided to take the time off. Big reason why I did take that time away is I was pretty mentally and physically ruined. I think it was eight months on the road, living out of a suitcase and that probably had been going on for four or five years, just constantly on the road and it all just caught up with me at that time.— in ESPN CricInfo

  1. Virat Kohli, Indian cricketer

For the first time in 10 years, I didn’t touch my bat for a month. I haven’t done that ever in my life. I came to the realisation that I was trying to kind of fake my intensity a bit recently. ‘I can do it, you’re competitive’, you’re convincing yourself you have the intensity but your body is telling you to stop, your mind is telling you to just take a break and step back.— in The Indian Express

  1. Nile Wilson, British artistic gymnast

I had my surgery [in 2019] which then led to other nerve damage. It’s not that I didn’t listen to the doctors. But I certainly rushed my comeback. You want to get back out there and compete again. I wanted to be the best gymnast in the world, and then it's taken away from you. That knocked me for six and shattered my mind.— in BBC

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Mental Health Myths


Different Professions with Specific Education, Training, Experience and Purposes


  • Differences between a psychologist, therapist, and a counsellor

When seeking professional services, you’d want to ensure you reach out to a licensed mental health professional with the appropriate and adequate education, training, and experience in the area(s) you are seeking support.

 

Do your due diligence

The information in this resource and on the websites is non-exhaustive, belongs to the respective organizations or institutions, and may change without notice. Please do your due diligence before contacting any organizations and helplines. Only website links have been provided instead of also mentioning the various helpline numbers, since website addresses tend to be more stable compared to contact numbers which may change. The information presented in this article is for educational purposes only.


If this newsletter can be modified or has errors, please write to me with specific feedback and suggestions.

 

Considering pursuing sport psychology? Take a look at the Free Education Guide to learn about:

  • Degree programs offered at universities across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, and India

  • Relevant associations

  • Important resources and tips


Reach out

Feel free to get in touch with your questions, just a hi, feedback and more at shaantanu.sportpsych@gmail.com. Alternatively, you can also reach out on social media.

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