Creating And Sustaining Sport Environments In Support Of Athlete Mental Health: Practitioner Guidelines And Case Studies
Intended Audience
The webinar is intended for practitioners who are interested in learning how they can collaborate with coaches and athletic administrators to develop sport environments that promote the positive mental health of athletes. The focus of the webinar will encompass the environments of youth and secondary sports as well as collegiate and professional sport environments. Practitioners who are likely to be interested in this webinar include licensed clinical and counseling psychologists, sport and performance psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, school psychologists, certified mental performance consultants, and organizational psychologists.
Description
The environment of a sport organization is known to be associated with the mental health of athletes, coaches, and other stakeholders. When the environment reflects a focus on learning and development, psychological safety, and inclusion, as well as when there is genuine concern of coaches and staff for all athletes, the likelihood is increased that mental health will be supported in positive ways.
A sport environment is an integral part of a sport organization and impacts the mental health of athletes, coaches, and other stakeholders. The sport environment reflects the conditions and circumstances in which athletes are embedded and which affect their sporting experience. Elements of a sport environment encompass physical facilities; equipment and supplies; athletes, coaches, support staff; game officials; an atmosphere that encourages participation; and a psychologically safe setting.
Practitioners who engage in the application of psychology to sport can be important contributors to the creation of sport environments. These practitioners can take a lead in collaborating with coaches and athletic directors to support the positive mental health of athletes by designing and implementing policies, programs and services that make the sport organization and its environment a mentally health entity. This is the case at all levels of sport, including youth, high school, collegiate, and professional sports. Toward this end, the challenge facing practitioners is how they can be engaged in meaningful activities that are practical, informed by evidence, context-based, and occur in an ethical manner.
It is for the above reasons that this webinar has been custom designed for the participants.
Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:
- Describe the nature and scope of a sport environment and its relationship to athlete mental health, within the context of the overall sport organization .
- Identify mental health risk and protective factors in youth, high school, collegiate and professional sports.
- Facilitate the design and implementation of policies, programs, and services that create and sustain a positive sport environment
- Recognize and use quality indicators of a positive sport environment.
Instructor Bio
CHARLES A MAHER, PSYD, MBA, CMPC. FAASP, ISSP-R(S) has been engaged in the licensed practice of sport, performance, and organizational psychology for 37 years, worldwide, in professional sport organizations, elite performance academies, colleges and universities, government agencies, and business entities. Within those settings, Dr. Maher has consulted with and developed programs and services for athletes, coaches, athletic trainers, sport psychologists, interdisciplinary performance teams, sport executives, and business operations professionals. In particular, the thrust of Dr. Maher’s professional practice has been on mental performance, mental health, team development, and organizational effectiveness with MLB, NBA, WNBA, NFL, and NHL franchises. Dr. Maher has been involved for 31 years with the Cleveland Guardians Baseball Organization where he has designed and implemented the sport psychology program, the business psychology program, and the employee assistance program. Moreover, Dr. Maher is Professor Emeritus, GSAPP, Rutgers University where he has served as a core faculty member for 32 years and also as Chair, Department of Applied Psychology. He also worked with Rutgers Athletics for 20 years as a sport and performance psychologist in many sports. His two latest books are: Fostering the Mental Health of Athletes, Coaches and Staff: A Systems Approach to Developing a Mentally Healthy Sport Organization ( 2023); and Consulting in Sport Psychology: Perspectives, Opportunities, and Practice Development (2025).
Dr. Maher has no conflicts of interest for this program.
Contact Us
For questions, please contact: ce@gsapp.rutgers.edu
Continuing Education Information
Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0123.
LMFT/MFT and LPC/LAC Licensed in New Jersey: Programs approved by the American Psychological Association are acceptable sources of continuing education credits. Please see https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/regulations/Chapter-34-Subchapters-10-31-Professional-Counselors.pdf, Section: 13:34-15.4 APPROVAL OF COURSES OR PROGRAMS on page 27. For all other professional licenses and certifications, please reference your issuing state board regulations regarding reciprocity of continuing education credits.
Rutgers Graduate School of Applied & Professional Psychology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Rutgers Graduate School of Applied & Professional Psychology maintains responsibility for this program and its content.