Mind Games
A former Pepperdine student-athlete becomes the first full-time mental health resource for Boise State University Athletics
鈥淚f you vigorously shake a closed soda bottle, opening the lid will cause an explosion. This is similar to how the human body processes stress,鈥� explains licensed clinical professional counselor Stephanie (Prince) Donaldson (鈥�03). 鈥淚deally, you cope with your stress before that much buildup is accumulated. But if you don鈥檛 deal with it and constantly push it down, eventually you will have to succumb to a release, which can feel like an internal explosion.鈥�
Donaldson is Boise State University鈥檚 first-ever director of athletic performance focused on the mental health of student-athletes鈥攁 position that was created specifically for her after 10 years of part-time consulting with the school to help this particular population. Part of Boise State Athletics鈥� new Sports Performance, Health and Wellness department, she is a key member of a critical team of professionals and clinicians specializing in sports medicine, strength and conditioning, sports nutrition, and mental health created to treat the minds and bodies of student-athletes.
According to Donaldson, student-athletes face the same time management challenges as other college students, especially while attempting to keep up with hefty academic assignments and creating new friendships in an unfamiliar setting. Student-athletes in particular, however, must additionally adapt to the demands of a collegiate athletic career.
鈥淣owadays, with so much scrutiny and social media exposure, student-athletes are also trying to manage college life in the public eye, and that pressure can be immense,鈥� she says. 鈥淵et, the drive and passion that can make student-athletes be overly critical of themselves, if channeled in a positive way, can be instrumental traits that create opportunities and success for the rest of their lives.鈥�
In her new role, the former collegiate athlete stays visible and accessible and harnesses her own experiences as a Division I swimmer at Pepperdine to relate to student-athletes on a deeply personal level. In an effort to help students prioritize the essential need for mental well-being, Donaldson attends as many practices, games, and events as possible, and is often seen conversing with student-athletes during training and rehab sessions.
Through one-on-one counseling sessions with student-athletes, meetings with her department
colleagues to discuss stress management, and the NCAA鈥檚 mental health best practices
guidelines, Donaldson has discovered that student-athletes have a desire to express
their feelings of pressure and stress and to break the stigma that exists around mental
health challenges. She endeavors to be 鈥渏ust another鈥� professional resource they can
regularly utilize and to help normalize the process of seeking mental health referrals.
鈥淭he public frequently talks about 鈥榤ental illness鈥� and focuses on stories of struggle,鈥� she contends. 鈥淭his is important and impactful, but we need to start these conversations the point of struggle and talk about mental health just like we talk about physical health.鈥�
Although mental health concern rates between student-athletes and their nonathletic peers are about the same, studies suggest that student-athletes may be less likely to seek help.
鈥淭his may stem partly from the mental toughness that athletes are expected to possess鈥攖he 鈥榩ut your head down and power through,鈥� 鈥榖e tough,鈥� or 鈥榡ust work it out on the eld鈥� sports mentality,鈥� Donaldson says. 鈥淎s an athletic department, we are in a unique position to create a culture shift where seeking help is seen as a strength, not a weakness.鈥�
In fact, Donaldson witnessed the results of this constructive culture shift firsthand during her freshman year at Pepperdine. 鈥淚 was definitely homesick and put a lot of pressure on myself in the pool and in the classroom,鈥� she recalls, admitting that these tough times led to harmful coping methods that further deteriorated her health. Fortunately, then head coach Tim Elson (鈥�78, MA 鈥�80) recognized Donaldson鈥檚 internal battles and immediately notified her parents.
鈥淚n 1999 there wasn鈥檛 much talk on any college campus about mental health, so the fact that Tim took the time to get to know his swimmers and realize when we deviated from our baseline functioning speaks to the caliber of Pepperdine coaches. With the support of the Pepperdine Athletics staff, I quickly got the help I needed,鈥� she reveals.
鈥淎t Pepperdine I was around influential coaches like Nick Rodionoff and dedicated administrators who cared about me not only as an athlete, but as a person. They considered my well-being enough to notice when I was having difficulty coping and had the appropriate conversations with me. For that, I am forever grateful.鈥�
Through a partnership between the Pepperdine Counseling Center and the Department of Athletics, Pepperdine student-athletes now have access to a dedicated counselor specifically brought on board to address their mental health needs. For the first time, Pepperdine Athletics incorporated a mental health component in student-athletes鈥� physical fitness screenings at the beginning of the fall 2018 semester.
鈥淥ur staff provided feedback on the screenings by having one-on-one conversations with each student-athlete to emphasize that mental health is important to their coaches and the administrative staff,鈥� says Nivla Fitzpatrick, licensed psychologist and director of the Pepperdine Counseling Center. 鈥淭his connection has opened up the lines of communication between our office and student- athletes, and we hope this removes any potential stigma or embarrassment about reaching out.鈥�
Photo: Darin Oswald/Idaho Statesman