Just down the hall from the weight rooms, practice gym and study areas of the Bierman Field Athletic Building sits a special place where student-athletes can find help when stress levels from balancing school and athletics skyrocket.
An office in Bierman houses the athletics department’s three-person sports psychology staff, which ensures Minnesota’s student-athletes are healthy in both body and mind. Each year, the staff helps about 200 student-athletes with varying mental health-related issues.
“There have been a growing number of mental health instances on college campuses,” deputy athletics director Beth Goetz said. “And athletes aren’t immune from that.”
The growing number of cases led the NCAA to launch two studies on student-athletes and mental health: the Growth, Opportunities, Aspirations and Learning of Students in college study and the Study of College Outcomes and Recent Experiences.
“U helps athletes’ mental health” — MN Daily