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Student-Athlete Mental Health
WCU Golden Rams 

 

 
Rams Lets Talk

What is Rams Let's Talk? Rams Let's Talk is a mental health support group available for student-athletes. However, it is so much more than that. Rams Let's Talk is an open environment where student-athletes can come and meet other student-athletes who face similar challenges being a collegiate student-athlete. Being a student-athlete is hard! You are not alone in that, and there are so many other student-athletes here at WCU and around the world who understand what you are going through! 



Click here to see all the Mental Health resources at your disposal!
 

  • Many student-athletes experience mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety, that can negatively impact them and their lives. Many student-athletes are often reluctant to seek help because of the stigma associated with seeking help (i.e. it shows weakness; my coaches and teammates will judge me; it's not bad enough) or uncertainty of what happens in therapy. 
  • We want student athletes to know that mental health is just as important to attend to as physical health and our mental health can impact our physical health (and vice versa).
  • Just like if we experience a physical injury, if we don't seek help for this physical injury or mental health difficulty, we are going to experience more pain, suffer more and have a longer recovery time.
  • Also, just like with building muscle and working out – when we struggle, we build strength. The same occurs with our mental health. Struggling builds our strength and resiliency.  Seeking help for our difficulty is a sign of strength.
  • West Chester University Athletic Department and Counseling Center are dedicated to providing mental health resources and services to their student athletes and reducing the stigma of seeking help.
  • On-campus Counseling at WCU's Counseling Center
    • Located in 241 Lawrence Center
    • www.wcupa.edu/counselingcenter
    • Services
      • Individual or group therapy
      • Psychiatric services (if engaged in therapy at the Counseling Center)
      • Access to the Clinical Case and Referral Specialist in the Counseling Center to help get connected to off-campus mental health resources
    • Dr. Rachel Daltry (Director of the Counseling Center) specializes in working with student athletes and has designated hours each week for student athletes
      • Student Athletes can contact Dr. Daltry directly with questions, concerns, or to set up an appointment.
  • Programs and workshops for student athletes and teams
 


Examples include:
  • Performance Enhancement
  • Stress Management
  • How to Manage Conflict
  • Improving Team Culture
  • Team Building
  • Improving Communication
  • Common Mental Health Concerns of Student Athletes
  • How to Address Mental Health in Student Athletes
  • How to Help a Teammate Struggling (You've Got a Friend)
  • Suicide Prevention
  • Self-Care
  • Improving Relationships with Teammates/Coaches
https://twloha.com/
 
RAMS LET'S WALK 

The fourth annual Rams Let's Walk: A 5K to Support Student-Athlete Mental Health Initiatives kicked off at 9 a.m. on September 18, 2022. The purpose of the annual race is to raise funds to benefit WCU student-athletes, providing new and additional resources toward mental health initiatives, raise awareness surrounding mental health, including suicide prevention awareness, and to provide mental health education and resources. Mental health and suicide prevention awareness are topics near and dear to WCU Athletics, affecting our WCU student-athletes and community directly. It's important to bring light to such sensitive topics in order to normalize the conversation, unify our community, and validate the necessity for providing resources and support to student-athletes.
 
On this beautiful Sunday morning, volunteers and runners began showing up outside West Chester University's Ehinger gym around 8AM.   This event, held outside in a large area where safety and social distancing were a main focus, drew advocates such as the WCU Counseling Center and Lax-4-Life who had tables set up providing resources and information regarding mental health. The event had close to 200 participants in either the 5K or the mile walk with over 100 volunteers as well! 
 
After the race, several gift baskets were raffled off from various local businesses and partners. 
Race coordinator, Jessica Meakim, along with the event supervisors, Kelli Milliner, Lindsey Keenan, and Rachel Daltry are very grateful for all of Rams Let's Walk's sponsors, donors, and everyone that came out to support such an amazing cause!