Funding Will Provide Free Mental Health and Positive Youth Development Training for 10,000 Ohio Youth Sports Coaches
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) today announced it has awarded a $250,000 SOAR Network Innovation Grant to LiFEsports – a premiere model for sport-based positive youth development at The Ohio State University – to extend its “Coach Beyond” trainings to communitybased sports organizations.
“Under the leadership of Governor DeWine, Ohio has placed a top priority on supporting the mental health of children in a variety of innovative ways. The initiative supported by our grant funding will harness the power of sports to better support the mental health of our state’s young athletes,” said OhioMHAS Director LeeAnne Cornyn. “This training will help prepare our youth coaches to identify mental health concerns and support positive youth development. As a former athlete myself, I understand the valuable role of coaches in the lives of kids.”
Coach Beyond is an initiative within LiFEsports, developed in partnership with the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA). Coach Beyond offers training designed to go beyond X’s and O’s – helping coaches recognize risk factors and identify symptoms of common mental health concerns and learn strategies to support child well-being.
“Anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation are at all-time highs. The pressures of sports can add additional stressors,” said Dr. Dawn Anderson-Butcher, the Co-Executive Director of LiFEsports. “Sports, when designed well, can be a huge protective factor. Coaches at all levels can better support kids, teach life skills that help kids cope on and off the field, foster belonging and community, and be ‘eyes’ who pick up signs and symptoms and respond.”
Currently, all of Ohio’s school-based coaches are required to complete a student mental health training course to obtain their coaching permit. However, research shows the need for this type of training extends beyond schools. Data from a needs assessment of 5,600 Ohio coaches shows that 75% are interested in more training on mental health, and only 29% feel confident in their ability to address mental health concerns among their athletes. ¹
“We know coaches in community-based settings feel less prepared than schoolbased coaches,” said LiFEsports’ Director of Research and Coach Beyond, Dr. Samantha Bates. “Our research has shown that trained coaches report better outcomes, including higher winning percentages, less stress, greater impacts on their athlete’s life skill development, and greater job satisfaction. This means training can improve sport for adults and kids – it’s a win-win.”
Over the past three years, Coach Beyond has partnered with 17 Ohio school districts to train more than 20,000 coaches. Information about the program can be found on LiFEsports’ Coach Beyond webpage. Youth sports organizations across Ohio can request a free training by emailing coachbeyond@osu.edu.
Any organization or person with an innovative concept that stands to benefit the mental health of Ohioans across the state is welcome to apply for future rounds of SOAR Network grant funding. Submit an idea today on OhioMHAS’ Innovation Assessment Tool.
https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/columbus/expanding-mental-health-training-for-community-coaches/
References
1 Bates, S., & Anderson-Butcher, D. (2022). State-wide survey of Ohio sport coaches:
Summary report. LiFEsports at The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
