Session 4 – The Oxygen Mask Effect: Taking Care of Self to More Effectively Advance Others
Coaches, regardless of the level they coach, are experiencing similar shared stressors across all levels of coaching from playground to podium. This session will address the unique mental health stressors facing coaches of all levels and offer some insightful education and resources from experts in the field diving into practical steps to support coach wellbeing. Following the session introduction, coaches will dive into interactive “practice makes progress” sessions designed to respond to the roundtable discussions through an interactive rotation of focused immersion with qualified experts. From learning how to identify and set healthy boundaries to practical strategies for prioritizing their own personal mental wellness, the outcomes of this session are strategically developed so coaches at any level can experience and activate practical mental wellness tools and walk away feeling confident in their ability to prioritize self so they can better serve others.
• Station 1: Mental Health and Emotional Regulation – Speaker: Kevin Chapman, PhD – Emotions serve an adaptive purpose when understood in a healthy context. Explore the importance of managing and regulating emotions as coaches navigate the stresses of preparation and competition.
• Station 2: Boundaries and Balanced Identity – Speakers: Jessica Bartley, PsyD, MSSW, LP, LCSW, CMPC and Melissa Streno, PsyD – The evolution of a coach’s job description has created an “all things to all people” mentality for many coaches. Identifying ways to set healthy boundaries that maintain a coach’s identity as a healthy individual and that recalibrate the discussion to recognize that coach mental well-being is not a luxury, but rather a necessary part of a successful career.
• Station 3: Making Self-Care Practical is Possible – Speakers: Adam Feit, PhD, CSCS, RSCC*D, SCCC, CMPC and Stephanie Miezin, MS, RD, CSSD – Nutrition, physical health, movement, and mindfulness all play a part in a coach’s mental wellness toolkit. Coaches often find juggling these aspects of self-care difficult while fulfilling their many coaching responsibilities and devoting themselves to these very same issues for their athletes. This rotation provides pragmatic insights for coaches to employ to care for both self and others, creating balance and a better baseline for both physical and mental health.