Copyright Statement

All rights reserved. This publication is intended for use solely by faculty, students, and staff of Nova Southeastern University. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, now known or later developed, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author or the publisher.

Submission Date

8-8-2022

Document Type

Entry Level Capstone

Degree Name

Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)

First Mentor

Mariana D'Amico, EdD, OTR/L, FAOTA

Second Mentor

Rhett Brooks

Abstract

The stigma surrounding mental health in sports has made intervention difficult. “There is a need for various actors to provide more effective strategies to overcome the stigma that surrounds mental illness, increase mental health literacy in the athlete/coach community, and address athlete-specific barriers to seeking treatment for mental illness” (Castadelli-Maia et.al 2019). The athletes in the football program at the University of Tennessee face more pressure today than ever in history. They have their class schedule, practice and training every day, and meetings with their position coaches. Now, with the introduction of name, image, and likeness (NIL) allowing players to profit off their name, companies are paying players, and they expect them to perform at a level to justify their investment. This capstone experience wanted to lay the foundation for high level athlete mental health and to advocate for a licensed occupational therapist to be added to a training staff. While the literature on mental health intervention in high level athletes is very scarce because of how new it is, this survey showed that more attention towards this topic is needed. Moving forward, mental health intervention in high level athletes needs more funding for longitudinal studies and improved access to mental health screenings. This will be the start to breaking the stigma surrounding mental health in sports and allowing athletes to trust that they have the necessary tools to address their mental health concerns during their time at the university and when they move to the next chapter in their career.

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