Expert Teammates Fill Health Roster
January 2, 2020
By Rob Kaminski
MHSAA benchmarks editor
Teamwork is a necessity in athletics. The MHSAA has put together the beginnings of a solid roster to combat mental health ailments throughout schools in the state.
Among the experts listed on the MHSAA Mental Health Speakers Bureau are Christy Buck, executive director, and Cat Lanting, program coordinator at the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan; and Brooke Buys, mental and behavioral health specialist and founder of BLND Health. They already are serving MHSAA schools in various capacities.
Through personal appearances, promotional videos and staff availability, both organizations emphasize the same strategy when tackling mental health issues: recognition and treatment from within the school buildings and districts.
“We wanted to create self-starting kits that anyone in the district can implement,” said Lanting. “We have in-person trainings and opportunities for students to get together – students talking to students – for high schools and for middle schools.”
Lanting coordinates the be nice.® Action Plan, founded by Buck. The plan calls for people to “notice, invite, challenge and empower” when recognizing changes in those close to them.
“It’s an attractive statement, but the key to the action plan is that it’s transferable. It can work from the pre-K level to senior citizens,” she said. “We want people to notice change, invite people into the conversation, challenge stigmas, and empower themselves with knowledge surrounding mental health.”
Buys, meanwhile, is one of a team of behavioral health specialists delivering messages to student-athletes around the state. Many of her associates in BLND (pronounced “blend”) not only talk the talk, but have walked the walk as collegiate athletes.
“The best course of action for administrators, teachers, coaches is to strive to build and maintain trust with the student-athlete; have genuine, non-judgmental conversations to include open-ended questions and authentic concern,” said Buys, who played soccer at Kalamazoo College.
Both be nice.® and BLND staff members made appearances at schools this year to assist in promoting recognition. A 90-second video produced by be nice.® was included in all MHSAA online rules meetings this year, featuring endorsements from University of Michigan coaches Jim Harbaugh and Carol Hutchins and Michigan State University coaches Mark Dantonio and Tom Izzo.
“When our team met with Mark (Uyl) and some athletic directors in Spring 2019, the room was filled with people who have just started to recognize mental health as an issue. The challenge was to deliver a 90-second video promoting the be nice.® Action Plan with a quick turnaround so it was ready for the fall rules meetings,” said Lanting.
She encourages people to visit be nice.org and “take the be nice.® pledge.”
“be nice.® started in 2010, and when people first see it they think, ‘bullying prevention,’ but really it is an action plan that is evidence-based,” Lanting said. “The be nice.® Action Plan can be used anywhere – in the workplace, community organizations – but schools is where we started and where we are currently having the most impact.”
Connecting with the most people possible is the goal across the board. Buys encourages schools to utilize the “one-stop shopping method” in the BLND programming.
“An external referral service that is qualified, efficient, dynamic, and integrated in nature – like BLND – helps provide a one-stop shop for student-athletes and parents to receive the support they need,” said Buys.
Lanting agrees, stating, “The more students and parents become familiar with some of the signs and symptoms, the better. Coaches and teammates might be the first to notice a change in someone’s behavior whether through daily interaction or social media activity.”
Buys and company have noticed a few recent trends leading to school-aged anxiety and stress, and have people in place to visit groups and lead discussions.
“The signs and symptoms can be very individualized, but some general factors may include isolation, irritability, drastic changes to an individual’s common mood or behavior,” noted Buys. “Students can also be affected by major life changes such as parent divorce, break-up with significant other, changing schools, things of that nature.”
When Lanting receives inquiries from individual coaches regarding the be nice.® program, she encourages them to get entire teams or districts involved, because, “it’s a K-12 initiative, and sports is really a great place to start.”
Sport participation offers a different set of variables. Student-athletes enjoy additional support and guidance, but there is a flip side.
“Student-athletes do have access to more adult guidance through coaches, and certainly enjoy inclusion as part of a team, but they also tend to be more at risk for anxiety,” Lanting said.
Buys points out several reasons for this, including added expectations – whether from within or from peers, parents and coaches. They are also busier than many others.
“Time management is an issue for all of us, but student-athletes can have difficulties finding that rhythm,” Buys said. “This can cause a lot of anxiety if an area of the athlete’s life that they value is perceived as not getting the attention it needs.”
Another source of stress more likely to affect athletes is injuries.
“One of the biggest challenges in the athlete population dealing with stress and anxiety is the strong relationship between stress and injury,” said Buys. “Susceptibility to injury as well as the length of time for recovery are affected by stress.”
Identifying physical conditions is much simpler than recognizing behavioral ailments. That’s why it’s important for groups like BLND and be nice.® to teach the school population to self-diagnose.
Lanting coordinated a be nice.® football game between Holland/Zeeland-area high schools last fall, and is planning a similar event during a Fennville-Saugatuck boys basketball game this winter.
“We see all the ‘pink-out’ games and events for other causes, and that’s great,” Lanting said. “But a person in high school is so much more likely to be affected by mental health than suffer a physical ailment. That’s why the student-led part of this is so important; they tell us when things happen that might trigger certain behaviors.”
PHOTOS: (Top) be nice. founder Christy Buck (left) and program coordinator Cat Lanting pose with MSU men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo during production of a promotional video this summer. (Middle) The BLND Health Detroit Metro Team, including founder Brooke Buys (seated middle, second row from bottom.)
More States Begin Mental Health Efforts
January 2, 2020
Editor’s Note: This is part of a series on NFHS News addressing the challenges of mental health issues in high school athletics. This article explores one statewide approach to this important subject.
Suicide is a serious public health problem. It is the second-leading cause of death of high school-aged individuals in the United States. (National Vital Statistics Report 2016 Data Published by the CDC July 2018)
In Oregon, the suicide rate is higher than the national average, and a recent survey of 11th-graders found that within the past year, 18 percent seriously considered suicide and 7 percent attempted suicide. (Youth Suicide Annual Report 2017 & Oregon Healthy Teens Survey 2017)
More concerning is the fact that the rate of completed suicides in youth has been increasing since 2011. Not only does suicide lead to a life lost much too early, it leaves a devastating impact on those left behind.
Fortunately, suicides are preventable. The Oregon Youth Suicide Intervention and Prevention Plan was created calling for “Zero Suicide ... through collective action among health and behavioral health systems, schools, communities, parents and other systems that touch the lives of youth.” (Youth Suicide Annual Report 2017) For numerous reasons, schools are being used as the primary means of dissemination and implementation of suicide prevention interventions.
One group of school personnel that had not been traditionally considered in school-based efforts are school activities personnel: coaches, athletic trainers and athletic administrators. These individuals spend a great deal of time with students, developing relationships that may go beyond what a student typically has with a teacher.
Coaches, athletic trainers and athletic administrators are in the ideal position to recognize behavioral warning signs or be the point person for students to go to if they have concerns about a peer. This is vital as youth considering suicide often talk about suicide and exhibit behaviors and/or moods associated with increased suicide risk. Additionally, activities personnel are school leaders who are often known and trusted by parents, thus creating more opportunities for dialogue on suicide prevention.
Realizing the impact youth suicide has on school communities and the prevention opportunities that exist, the leadership of the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA), the Oregon Athletic Coaches Association, the Oregon Athletic Directors Association and the Oregon Athletic Trainers’ Society partnered to promote the role of high school activities personnel in preventing youth suicide. While these groups had multiple means of reaching out to the intended audience, the leadership realized help was needed from experts for a statewide education campaign to be successful. The Suicide Intervention Coordinator for the Oregon Health Authority (the state agency charged with overseeing Oregon’s health-related programs) was contacted and agreed to assist in developing a statewide educational campaign geared to activities personnel.
The Campaign
It was determined that a series of articles geared specifically to activities personnel would be written by the Oregon Health Authority and then disseminated by the OSAA throughout the academic year.
The articles typically contained two pages of practical information and tips. The campaign was not designed to replace a formal suicide gatekeeper training; rather, it served to promote awareness of the role activities personnel play in countering the rising problem. The articles and additional resources were also posted to the OSAA website.
The OSAA Foundation provided funding for a poster that was provided to schools to be placed in locker rooms, team rooms, athletic training rooms and other areas where students congregate. The primary goal of the poster was to provide students with contact information for crisis lines.
Toward the end of the campaign, workshops were presented by a representative from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention at the Oregon Athletic Directors Association’s annual statewide conference. The goal was to provide information on programs and policies that athletic administrators could implement at their schools.
While the campaign only spanned the 2017-18 academic year, the leadership of the stakeholder groups believed there was still more that could be done. In 2018-19, a campaign on anti-hazing and anti-bullying (which is a risk factor for suicide) was implemented using a similar approach as the suicide prevention campaign.
In addition, the groups coordinated a high school coaches’ symposium that included breakout sessions on suicide prevention, hazing prevention and character education.
Lessons Learned
Individuals who work with students involved with high school activity programs realize the power and opportunities which exist for positive character development. The focus of this campaign was to highlight a significant and growing public health problem – youth suicide. The goal of the campaign was to increase awareness and provide appropriate resources – not to create experts in suicide prevention.
The collaborative nature of this campaign strengthened the relationships between the different groups working together with a specific purpose. The groups have now partnered on several additional campaigns – the aforementioned anti-hazing/anti-bullying campaign and promoting the development of Emergency Action Plans.
The campaign also allowed the groups to work closely with state public health officials. While the OSAA had previously partnered with state public health officials regarding air quality policies and a guidance document for medical providers on pre-participation physical exams, this campaign provided several new and distinct advantages.
State public health officials were able to see the positive impact of participation in high school activity programs beyond just the activity itself – namely the positive mentorship relationships that may develop. They were also impressed by the large audience the campaign reached and the feedback provided (due to the expansive network of activities administrators, coaches and athletic trainers that the OSAA reaches). Ideally, this will spur additional collaborations in the future.
A major challenge for schools and school personnel is the competing demands for time and resources for the many worthy interventions and activities. Unfortunately, it is impossible to commit to all interventions and activities that may benefit students. While there was a monetary cost for the posters to be distributed to schools, development of the actual campaign articles and presentations were done by individuals as part of their job related to suicide prevention, so the campaign was relatively inexpensive. Since it was distributed throughout the year, it did not require a large time commitment from activities personnel and the monthly articles kept the issue front and center.
Conclusion
The statewide Youth Suicide Awareness Campaign is just one example of how the unique role of school activities personnel can be leveraged and how stakeholder organizations and state public health agencies can maximize their impact and reach through collaboration. While we will continue to review suicide incidence in Oregon during the coming years, the campaign is seen as a success at this point. It has strengthened relationships between the involved entities, and it promoted the role of coaches, athletic trainers and athletic administrators as mentors and trusted individuals to make an impact that extends beyond wins and losses.
— Sam Johnson, Rob Younger, Peter Weber, NFHS News, March 12, 2019
Colorado Institutes Mental Health Requirement
In a major step aimed at improving mental health of students across Colorado high schools, the CHSAA Board of Directors approved as a requirement that all coaches take a course on student mental health.
It is among the major topics facing high school students today. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 31 percent of high school students reported symptoms of depression in 2017, and 17 percent reported they seriously considered attempting suicide.
So, starting this fall, all coaches must take a course “Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention” on the NFHS Learning Center, or a district-led mental health training. The NFHS Learn course is free.
In order to be a registered coach, this requirement must be satisfied. Unregistered coaches are not permitted to coach, per CHSAA bylaws. Other required courses or training are based around concussion, first aid, mandatory reporting, and the CHSAA coaches course.
“CHSAA’s vision is to deconstruct the stereotypes around mental health and help start the conversations that need to happen around our kids,” said CHSAA commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green. “The mental and physical well-being of our student participants is our priority.”
The decision was made with the full support of the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC), which discussed the topic at length during its meeting last school year.
“The committee was focused on finding great tools that we can give to our schools and coaches to help provide awareness around mental health, which is among the most important issues our students face,” said Jenn Roberts-Uhlig, the CHSAA staff liaison to SMAC. “We believe it is important for coaches to not be afraid to look for the signs and symptoms of a student who is struggling with their mental health, and this training will provide valuable instruction in how to do that.”
— Ryan Casey/CHSAA, June 27, 2019