Athlete Mental Health - Beyond Awareness

Athlete mental health cannot be addressed with motivational slogans, one-time awareness campaigns, or instructions to simply “toughen up.” In this special roundtable episode of Talkin’ with the AD, Morgan Sullivan is joined by five professionals with backgrounds in mental health counseling, athletic training, coaching, education, mental performance, and athlete development.

The panel discusses the challenges today’s athletes face, including anxiety, depression, perfectionism, emotional regulation, burnout, injuries, recruiting pressure, early specialization, parent expectations, and the loss of identity that can occur when an athlete’s playing career ends. 

The conversation also explores coaching behaviors that may be well-intentioned but psychologically damaging, including public criticism, indirect communication, unexplained lineup changes, and giving corrective feedback while an athlete is still highly emotional. The panel emphasizes the importance of building relationships, communicating directly, allowing athletes time to process mistakes, and making sure young people know that their value is not determined by their statistics, starting position, or performance.

The central message of this episode is simple: The person must always come before the athlete. When adults create environments where athletes feel seen, heard, supported, and valued beyond the scoreboard, they do not weaken competitive sports—they build healthier teams, stronger athletes, and better human beings.

Meet the Panel

Liza Simrell, LPCC-S

Liza is a licensed professional clinical counselor with supervision designation and a certified mental game coach based in Toledo, Ohio. She works with adolescents, adults, athletes, teams, and organizations and brings experience as a collegiate basketball player, varsity coach, college recruiter, basketball official, and competitive golfer.

Learn more: Liza Simrell Counseling

Bill Hoopes

Bill is a Navy veteran, former educator, coach, youth-development professional, and founder of Lead Your Journey. His work focuses on athlete mindset, leadership, recruiting, and strengthening the relationship between athletes and their parents. He also leads Florida Premier Girls Fastpitch and has helped hundreds of softball players pursue collegiate opportunities.

Learn more: Lead Your Journey

Danielle Vallas, LMHC, M.Ed.

Danielle is a licensed mental health counselor, former school wellness director, coach, educator, graduate-school professor, author, and founder of D&G Wellness Consulting. Her work helps athletes, parents, coaches, schools, and organizations address mental health and wellness through counseling, coaching, workshops, and education.

Danielle is also the creator of The Inner Game: A Mental Health Journal for Peak Performance in Sports and the founder of Buffalo Believes.

Learn more:

D&G Wellness Consulting

Danielle Vallas

Buffalo Believes

The Inner Game Journal

Meghan Johnson, MA, LAPC, LAT, ATC, NCC

Meghan is a licensed associate professional counselor, certified athletic trainer, and mental performance coach with Next Level Mental Performance. A former collegiate softball player, she combines her background in sports medicine, counseling, and performance psychology to support athletes both on and off the field.

Learn more: Meghan Johnson at Next Level Mental Performance

Kim Griffin, MHC-P

Kim is a mental health counselor and former NCAA Division I softball coach. She spent nearly two decades coaching at Canisius University, including 11 seasons as head coach, before transitioning into mental health counseling. Kim works with athletes, families, couples, and individuals on emotional regulation, performance, anxiety, communication, leadership, burnout, and life transitions.

Learn more: Kim Griffin at Core Mental Health Counseling

Memorable Moments

• “Put the person first—not the athlete.” — Liza Simrell
• “You’re not building a softball player. You’re building a strong, powerful woman who can use the game as a vessel.” — Bill Hoopes
• “It doesn’t take a special certification or a fancy degree to be an active listener.” — Meghan Johnson
• “Our brains are prediction machines.” — Kim Griffin
• “I’m noticing…” may be one of the most powerful ways for a coach to begin a conversation.
• Athletes often do not need coaches to fix the situation; they need coaches to remain present.
• The qualities that can make someone an elite athlete may also make that athlete more vulnerable to mental health concerns.
• The person who arrives with 100% can help carry the teammate who arrives with 20%.
• The growth is not in the immediate emotional reaction; the growth is in the reflection.
• Coaches should strive to be the thermostat that helps regulate the environment—not the thermometer that simply reflects its temperature.
• Supporting coach mental health matters because coaches are people, not simply because replacing them is inconvenient.

Action Steps for Athletic Directors

1. Create a written mental health emergency action plan for home and away contests.
2. Establish clear procedures for concerns that occur when school counselors are unavailable.
3. Include mental health awareness and referral procedures in preseason coach training.
4. Connect coaches, counselors, athletic trainers, administrators, and school nurses before a crisis occurs.
5. Develop a vetted list of local and telehealth mental health professionals.
6. Explain mandatory reporting and confidentiality boundaries to all coaches.
7. Add mental wellness questions or screenings to appropriate preseason processes.
8. Train coaches to recognize behavioral changes and begin supportive conversations.
9. Create recurring athlete check-in systems across every program.
10. Provide mental health, stress-management, conflict-resolution, and boundary-setting resources for coaches.
11. Build mentoring systems for new and inexperienced coaches.
12. Model vulnerability, help-seeking, emotional regulation, and healthy boundaries at the administrative level.

Practical Strategies for Coaches

The Percentage Check-In

At the beginning of practice, ask each athlete to give a percentage representing how much energy or emotional capacity they are bringing that day.

An athlete might say, “I’m at 60% today.”

The coach or teammates can respond, “We’ve got the other 40%.”

This establishes a regular check-in system instead of waiting until something appears obviously wrong. It also helps coaches identify patterns when the same athlete repeatedly reports a low number.

Weekly Athlete Journal

Give athletes a short weekly reflection containing questions such as:

• What went well this week?
• What challenged you?
• What did you learn?
• What support do you need?
• Is there anything you need from the coaching staff?

Writing can provide an easier communication route for athletes who struggle with face-to-face conversations.

Shoulder-to-Shoulder Conversations

Many young people communicate more comfortably while moving and looking ahead rather than maintaining direct eye contact.

Post-Competition Feedback Rule

Immediately after competition, emphasize effort, connection, and what went well. Save detailed technical correction for a time when the athlete and coach are emotionally regulated and able to reflect productively.

Regular Athlete Feedback

Do not wait until the final exit interview. Ask throughout the season:

• What is helping you improve?
• What is making practice difficult?
• What could we communicate more clearly?
• What does the team need from the coaching staff?
• What should we continue doing?

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Better Youth Coaching
Mission is to improve amateur sports through education of parents, coaches, and athletes

Better Youth Coaching
Mission is to improve amateur sports through education of parents, coaches, and athletes