Goldey-Beacom Athletics Hosts Talk on Mental Health

General | 1/15/2019 12:00:00 AM

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Goldey-Beacom's Department of Athletics recently welcomed Tim Erb, whose practice on the subject spans decades, to discuss with the student-athletes the importance of mental health.

Erb's talk focused around mental toughness, confidence, resilience and performance tolerance. He also mentioned the support around mental health wellness stems from creating a healthy well-being culture, providing a safe space and championing self-care.

"A student-athletes' mental toughness is like an Achilles heel because persistence and resilience helps their growth but they also challenge their ability to ask for help," Erb said. "Better time management and a consistent sleep routine are the quickest and effective ways to improve my well-being."

In addition to the seminar, Student Affairs brought awareness to the mental health support services provided by the College. Through the great work of Dean of Students and former Director of Athletics Chuck Hammond, the Delaware Crisis Intervention Services (CIS) has agreed to provide on-site mobile support and assessment for a student experiencing severe mental health symptoms. This group will also be offering training for key employees on crisis intervention.

Dean Hammond also has announced he has joined the Delaware Higher Education Suicide Prevention Coalition, opening a strong network of professionals in schools throughout Delaware. This provides us expanded access to "best practice" guidelines, enhanced training, and has already resulted in a new and robust resource guide to get help for students. This help is available in the Student Affairs Office.

"We recognize the importance of our student-athletes' health in all aspects, not just physical health. This is one of the many things that we offer to facilitate positive growth in this area," adds Associate Athletic Director Jeremy Benoit. "Student-athletes learn many things while they pursue a degree, but this is one thing they need to learn that they won't necessarily hear about in a classroom or on the field of play."

Mental health will continue to be a topic of discussion in the spring semester as Athletics plans additional collaborative events with Student Affairs and members of the GBC faculty.

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