Mental Health and Mental Performance in Secondary School Sports: Guidelines For Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating Programs and Services
Intended Audience
This live virtual webinar is intended for individuals who are interested in integrating mental health and mental performance programs and services in secondary schools in ways that are practical, evidence-informed, ethical, and meaningful for student-athletes and other performers. This task, though, is a challenging one; it requires communication and collaboration among: (a) school system administrators and staff, (b) faculty associated with graduate programs in school psychology and sport psychology, and (c) sport psychology practitioners. Thus, individuals who are likely to benefit from this webinar include: sport and clinical psychologists, school psychologists, guidance counselors, mental performance consultants, and athletic directors.
Description
Secondary school sports in public and private school systems, at the high school and middle school levels, are growing in size and scope; they are similar yet different in many respects. Secondary school sports are similar to one another with the intent of providing extracurricular experiences for student athletes that are educational in nature and scope. In contrast, secondary school sports, as they occur in school systems, are diverse. Importantly, this diversity requires attention by educators and psychology practitioners who desire to integrate mental health and mental performance into sports in school systems. Notably, there are differences in school systems with regard to the cultures and contexts of urban and suburban communities; their student populations; variations in the structures of school systems; the amount of resources that can be allotted to interscholastic sports; experiences and values of school staff, parents, and other stakeholders; and organizational readiness for change.
Increasingly, sport psychology has been considered as being a valuable contributor to the development of secondary school sports in the United States and globally. More specifically, it has been opined that providing mental health and mental performance programs and services at secondary school levels can add value to interscholastic sports as an extracurricular experience. However, unlike applications of sport psychology at professional and collegiate levels where there are relatively defined service delivery models, it is less clear about how and when to integrate mental heath and mental performance programs and services into high school and middle school sport routines. Thus, it will be helpful to examine in a systematic way and systemic manner how to apply sport psychology at the high school and middle school levels so that programs and services can occur--- in relevant cultural contexts--- in ways that meet the following criteria: (a) practical in terms of program implementation; (b) provided by qualified professionals; (c) informed by trustworthy evidence; (d) compliant with ethical and legal standards; ( e) adequately funded and (f) enable student-athletes to effectively balance sport with school and other aspects of their lives.
This webinar will address the above matters by means of case studies, coupled with real world perspectives, and practical guidelines.
Learning Objectives
- Define mental health and mental performance within the context of secondary school systems and their interscholastic sport initiatives.
- Determine psychological needs of student-athletes and other student-performers ( e.g., music, theater, dance) that serve as a basis for mental health and mental performance program development at the high school and middle school levels.
- Apply a program planning and evaluation process that will allow programs and services to be provided to student-athletes in school systems that have value to them as students and athletes.
- Embrace how ethics, social equity, staff development, and communication and collaboration contribute to a successful service delivery process.
Instructor Bio
CHARLES A MAHER, PsyD, MBA, CMPC, FAASP, ISSP-R(S), ABPDC, has been engaged in the licensed practice of sport, performance, and organizational psychology for 37 years, worldwide, in professional sport organizations, elite sport academies, educational systems, colleges and universities, government agencies and business entities. He also is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant and an Established Practitioner and Supervisor of the International Society of Sport Psychology, In terms of professional practice , Dr. Maher has consulted with and developed mental health and mental performance programs and services for athletes, coaches, athletic trainers, sport psychologists, interdisciplinary performance teams, sport executives and athletic directors, among other relevant stakeholders. Notably, a central thrust of Dr. Maher’s professional practice has been on sport psychology program planning and evaluation, with a range of clients, occurring with consideration for relevant cultures and contexts. These clients includes ones associated with MLB, NBA, WNBA, NHL, and NFL as well as collegiate and scholastic athletic organizations. In particular, for 31 years, Dr. Maher has been involved as a key contributor to the Cleveland Guardians Baseball Organization where he has designed and implemented sport psychology programs, business psychology programs, staff development initiatives, and where he also directs the employee assistance program. Moreover, Dr. Maher is Professor Emeritus of Applied Psychology, GSAPP, Rutgers University -New Brunswick where he served as a core, tenured faculty member for 32 years and also as Chair, Department of Applied Psychology. During this time, Dr. Maher also served as a sport psychologist for a range of Rutgers Athletics teams. Additionally, Dr. Maher is a member of the National Advisory Board of the Positive Coaching Alliance. His two latest authored books are: Fostering the Mental Healthof 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 is Senior Associate Editor, Journal of Sport Psychology in Action. He is a member of the editorial boards of numerous scientific and professional journals.
Dr. Maher has no conflicts of interest for this webinar.
Contact Us
For questions, please contact: ce@gsapp.rutgers.edu
Continuing Education Policy:
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