#33 - Mental Health and Addiction in Sports

The increase in mental health struggles and addiction to prescription and illicit drugs in sports is of serious concern to the wellbeing of our athletes, organizations, and our communities. We hope to soften the resistance to having these conversations in the locker room, the training room, and any other space where athletes exist in relationship with colleagues and the larger organizations that support them. We want to help trainers learn important skills to identify the warning signs and symptoms of deteriorating mental health and patterns of addictive behaviour while providing tools and examples of how to have necessary and difficult conversations with their athletes. How to balance compassion and accountability when working with someone who's struggling. What underlies people's incredible capacity to deceive themselves about their personal troubles and how can we relate to them with compassion? How to navigate difficult conversations with our athletes and colleagues. How to support people refusing to get help.  How to bring ourselves more self-compassion.  Disclaimer Professional medical care and psychotherapeutic services are not offered on this Youtube channel. It is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user's own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such condition Seeking professional support is encouraged if you think you have an issue and that you want help.