Sport Psychology Resources
Mental Health Continuum
Mental and physical health exist on a continuum from healthy, to hurt, to injured. When you’re healthy, you’re ready to take on the world and challenge yourself to grow. When you’re hurt, you may still be able to participate but you’re definitely not at 100% and you may need some support. When you’re injured, you likely need some focused treatment from a qualified professional before you return to play. Most people experience all three at different points in their lives!
This Mental Health Continuum, adapted from the Canadian Mental Health Association, is intended to help you understand your mental health and the signs to look for in keeping yourself well. It also provides language that will be familiar to athletes and coaches you can use to talk about these things.
Sport Psychology Maps
Psychology includes understanding the relationship between our minds and our bodies. How we think influences how we feel, how we behave, and how our body responds. By paying attention to and understanding these interactions, we can identify when we are struggling and create a plan to look after ourselves.
Psychology Month 2024 – Blog series with Kevin Kristjanson
- Psychology FAQ
- Understanding Your Mental Health
- Finding a Psychologist That’s the Right Fit for You
- Supporting Loved Ones
- Psychology in Sport
Return to Sport
Game Plan offers three mental health resources designed to support athletes, coaches, and sport leaders in navigating mental health considerations in the training and competition environment. Developed in collaboration with mental health experts, these resources provide structured guidance for managing an athlete’s journey back to sport following a mental health-related leave, as well as for situations that may require their removal from sport due to mental health concerns. All resources are listed on the Game Plan website.
- Return to Sport Guideline: A stepwise guide to assist athletes returning to competitive or training environments after disclosing a mental health condition or experiencing mental health symptoms.
- Return to Sport Flowchart: A step-by-step visual tool to facilitate the return-to-sport process following a mental health-related leave.
- Removal from Sport Guideline: A structured guideline to help determine when an athlete should be removed from the sport environment due to mental health concerns.
Athlete Interviews and Sentiments
Additional Resources
- Coaches: Working with Athletes from Diverse Cultural Backgrounds
- Book recommendations: CSCM Reads
COPSIN Advantage Webinar Series
During the time of physical distancing due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Game Plan, the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network (COPSIN) offered free webinars for athletes and coaches to give an opportunity to connect, learn and provide additional support. Replays of these webinars are available.
- COPSIN Advantage Webinar Series including webinars on Goal Setting, Managing Anxiety, Athlete Wellness Monitoring and more.
TED Talks
TedTalk from South African psychologist, Dr. Susan David, about developing resiliency, joy, hope and courage in the face of COVID-19. It can be especially helpful saying “I am noticing, I am feeling (insert feeling) vs. I am (feeling)”.
i.e. mindfulness exercise to separate noticing temporary emotions versus more permanent states of being
- TED Talk – Kelly McGonigal: How to make stress your friend
- TED Talk – Guy Winch: Why we all need to practice emotional first aid
WEBINAR REPLAYS
- Girls & Women in Sport Virtual Series – Week 5, Mental Health
