George Washington University Athletics
Mental Health Matters
10/10/2019 10:30:00 AM | My GW: Celebrating our Stories
GW continues to prioritize mental health
Chris Hennelly wasn't sure what to expect when he sent an e-mail last May alerting GW coaches and athletics staff about his plan to hold a series of mental health first-aid training sessions.
In short order, 50 people were signed up for the eight-hour course. No follow-up note necessary.
"To me, that's unheard of," said Hennelly, GW's Associate Athletic Director of Student-Athlete Health, Well-being and Performance. "I didn't have to chase people."
Under Hennelly's direction, the summer training represented the latest step to ensure mental health – both awareness and support – remains a department priority.
Hennelly taught the day-long seminar that focuses on risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns to five different groups spanning the department's 27 sports. The veteran administrator was pleased to see the coaches showing their enthusiasm before, during and after receiving certification as mental-health first responders.
"I think it's the first time I'd heard it framed in that way," volleyball head coach Sarah Bernson said. "I like how (the training) put things in a perspective similar to traditional first-aid and CPR. It's not my job to be the doctor, but it's my job to be able to help get them to that next point."
Hennelly has taken care to keep mental health a frequent topic of discussion in the department by sending regular emails to student-athletes and coaches on topics that are timely and relevant, such as depression and suicide prevention. Last school year, he brought in speakers for student-athlete forums on eating disorders, performance anxiety and more.
The hands-on training over the summer offered the next stage in those education efforts.
Hennelly became a certified instructor in June 2018 via a one-week course through the D.C.-based National Council of Behavioral Health. His goal is to have every member of the department trained by the start of the spring semester.
"It gives all of our coaches and staff a mental health baseline," Hennelly said. "We all are starting with the same foundation and then we can build."
It's an important mission. Hennelly started off each of his training sessions with the fact that 48 percent of people will deal with mental illness over the course of their lives.
The course is designed to leave participants with a better understanding of the warning signs and symptoms of distress and a mental health first-aid action plan.
At GW, the curriculum led to some frank discussion of the personal and professional challenges that come with working in college athletics.
"I think it was good because people were willing to share," golf head coach Chuck Scheinost said. "The only way you're going to start to change the stigma is to acknowledge that these things exist."
For women's soccer head coach Michelle Demko, the training offered a chance for self-reflection on a long-held tenant of her program: The well-being of her student-athletes has to come before anything happening on the field.
One new addition to her team's fall training schedule is a Saturday morning yoga session. The hope is to allow the Colonials to calm their minds and recharge during what can be a hectic time.
Demko believes that little things like yoga sessions, baking cakes for birthdays or adding games into training can make a big difference in a high-pressure environment, but she's just as cognizant of the big picture when it comes to caring for her student-athletes.
"What's really important to building trust is our response," Demko said. "If they put something heavy on the table, we don't grimace because life happens all the time. We want to be part of the solution for them, not another source of stress."
Men's soccer head coach Craig Jones shared the mental health first-aid journey with his Colonials, who last month became the first team in the District to earn certification.
Jones has been looking for more ways to expand the mental health conversation since a faithful road trip at the beginning of last season when a team-building activity led to a revealing dialogue about performance anxiety.
Since then, Jones has sought out more chats with his student-athletes that have nothing to do with soccer, often posting up in a coffee shop downtown and encouraging drop-ins to keep the atmosphere casual. He's instituted accountability partners for the first time this season, pairing the newcomers with veterans to help with the transition to life at GW.
In arranging the recent training, he challenged the Colonials to take an active role in looking out for each other and ultimately, maintaining a positive culture.
"How we speak to people on a daily basis, how we acknowledge people, what we say, the tone we use in everything that we do, all that stuff makes a huge difference," Jones said. "We want our locker room to be a place that's inclusive and everybody feels welcome."
There's still much work to be done, but Hennelly is excited about the future. While the conversations aren't always easy, they're undeniably important.
It helps to have such enthusiastic buy-in from all involved.
"We're just scratching the surface," Hennelly said. "We want to educate our coaches and staff to get them more understanding of these issues, and we also want to increase the awareness of our student-athletes and give them even more opportunities to learn."
In short order, 50 people were signed up for the eight-hour course. No follow-up note necessary.
"To me, that's unheard of," said Hennelly, GW's Associate Athletic Director of Student-Athlete Health, Well-being and Performance. "I didn't have to chase people."
Under Hennelly's direction, the summer training represented the latest step to ensure mental health – both awareness and support – remains a department priority.
Hennelly taught the day-long seminar that focuses on risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns to five different groups spanning the department's 27 sports. The veteran administrator was pleased to see the coaches showing their enthusiasm before, during and after receiving certification as mental-health first responders.
"I think it's the first time I'd heard it framed in that way," volleyball head coach Sarah Bernson said. "I like how (the training) put things in a perspective similar to traditional first-aid and CPR. It's not my job to be the doctor, but it's my job to be able to help get them to that next point."
Hennelly has taken care to keep mental health a frequent topic of discussion in the department by sending regular emails to student-athletes and coaches on topics that are timely and relevant, such as depression and suicide prevention. Last school year, he brought in speakers for student-athlete forums on eating disorders, performance anxiety and more.
The hands-on training over the summer offered the next stage in those education efforts.
Hennelly became a certified instructor in June 2018 via a one-week course through the D.C.-based National Council of Behavioral Health. His goal is to have every member of the department trained by the start of the spring semester.
"It gives all of our coaches and staff a mental health baseline," Hennelly said. "We all are starting with the same foundation and then we can build."
It's an important mission. Hennelly started off each of his training sessions with the fact that 48 percent of people will deal with mental illness over the course of their lives.
The course is designed to leave participants with a better understanding of the warning signs and symptoms of distress and a mental health first-aid action plan.
At GW, the curriculum led to some frank discussion of the personal and professional challenges that come with working in college athletics.
"I think it was good because people were willing to share," golf head coach Chuck Scheinost said. "The only way you're going to start to change the stigma is to acknowledge that these things exist."
For women's soccer head coach Michelle Demko, the training offered a chance for self-reflection on a long-held tenant of her program: The well-being of her student-athletes has to come before anything happening on the field.
One new addition to her team's fall training schedule is a Saturday morning yoga session. The hope is to allow the Colonials to calm their minds and recharge during what can be a hectic time.
Demko believes that little things like yoga sessions, baking cakes for birthdays or adding games into training can make a big difference in a high-pressure environment, but she's just as cognizant of the big picture when it comes to caring for her student-athletes.
"What's really important to building trust is our response," Demko said. "If they put something heavy on the table, we don't grimace because life happens all the time. We want to be part of the solution for them, not another source of stress."
Men's soccer head coach Craig Jones shared the mental health first-aid journey with his Colonials, who last month became the first team in the District to earn certification.
Jones has been looking for more ways to expand the mental health conversation since a faithful road trip at the beginning of last season when a team-building activity led to a revealing dialogue about performance anxiety.
Since then, Jones has sought out more chats with his student-athletes that have nothing to do with soccer, often posting up in a coffee shop downtown and encouraging drop-ins to keep the atmosphere casual. He's instituted accountability partners for the first time this season, pairing the newcomers with veterans to help with the transition to life at GW.
In arranging the recent training, he challenged the Colonials to take an active role in looking out for each other and ultimately, maintaining a positive culture.
"How we speak to people on a daily basis, how we acknowledge people, what we say, the tone we use in everything that we do, all that stuff makes a huge difference," Jones said. "We want our locker room to be a place that's inclusive and everybody feels welcome."
There's still much work to be done, but Hennelly is excited about the future. While the conversations aren't always easy, they're undeniably important.
It helps to have such enthusiastic buy-in from all involved.
"We're just scratching the surface," Hennelly said. "We want to educate our coaches and staff to get them more understanding of these issues, and we also want to increase the awareness of our student-athletes and give them even more opportunities to learn."
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