Talk to any coach, athlete, athletic director, etc. about mental health training programs, and you’ll likely hear a similar story. We’re making progress, but it’s not enough. The need is understood, but the part that still gets confusing is execution. 

Teams want something evidence-based, practical, and easy to run inside the flow of training, travel, and academics. Athletes want tools that feel relevant and speak to them. Coaches want it to support performance and team culture, not compete with it.

Yet when someone suggests adding a mental wellness program, the first questions are reasonable: “Where does this fit?” and “What do we do?”

Let’s look at how athletic programs can build integrated mental wellness programs that improve areas such as athlete retention and performance, without asking coaches to be therapists. 

A Study on Mental Wellness Built for Busy Teams

A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis study looked at psychological interventions designed to improve elite athletes’ mental well-being, and then identified what helps those programs actually work in real sport settings. 

The findings pointed to measurable improvements in overall mental well-being for elite athletes in areas like mental skills training, mindfulness, and positive psychology. However, the study also found that the curriculum and the approach matter.  

Basically, you can have the best curriculum in the world, but if it doesn’t vibe with the players, and the coach isn’t buying in, the players won’t either. It becomes just another ‘mandatory meeting’, and they tune out. 

Importantly, but not surprisingly, the study found that the mental health programs worked better when they were adapted to the sport context, supported by coaches and teammates, and led by someone athletes connected with. Additionally, participation dropped when schedules were overloaded or the material felt too complicated.

Here is what that means for athletic departments, coaches, and organizations that want better performance, stronger retention, and healthier long-term outcomes.

Why Mental Well-Being Systems Help Retention And Performance

Retention and performance issues are rarely about talent alone. Without the right tools and support, when stress is high, and athletes don’t feel aligned with their coach or team culture, they become disengaged or transfer. 

As a mental health and mental performance coach in the collegiate space, I’ve spoken with several student-athletes who were struggling to connect with their coach. The coach’s hard-nosed style actually pushed several athletes to leave the team and the sport they love. 

Interestingly enough, upon finding out that the player was quitting, sometimes the coach played the “the team needs you” card in an attempt to keep them on the roster, which came as a surprise to the athlete who felt like the coach didn’t want them there.  

In an extreme example, Terry Crews, who is a world-renowned actor and entertainer and also a former NFL player, was on my podcast, Bailey and Buck Unplugged. He spoke with us about how a coach belittled him to the point that he almost made a life-changing decision. (You can watch the clip here.)

Of course, most coach-athlete relationships aren’t that extreme, but they can be the difference in a winning team. I believe that if the coaches and student-athletes had a space dedicated to mental wellness, these instances might not be so common. 

For teams, this translates into practical, supportive solutions for solutions that result in outcomes such as:

• More emotional control in high-pressure moments
• Faster reset after mistakes, conflicts, injuries, or a slump
• Better communication inside position rooms and leadership groups
• Fewer issues that build up until they explode, leaving the team and leadership confused

The Coaching Lane Matters

The coach’s struggle is often twofold. For one, they have their own style, which naturally some players thrive off of, while others might not. Secondly, coaches are not therapists, nor do they want to be. 

As I always say, the locker room is not a therapist’s office. Now, this doesn’t mean that better communication and platforms can’t exist, but there’s also a lane for everyone. It’s no different than having a nutritionist, physical therapist, etc. 

Coach support does not need to mean wearing all of the hats, but it can mean:

• Backing the system and culture so that athletes do not feel singled out
• Reinforcing shared language 
• Protecting the time block for mental wellness and mental performance work
• Moving away from a one-size-fits-all coaching strategy by making room for individuals

The Trust Gap On Every Roster

Every roster has different realities. Some athletes are labeled as “in the bubble” and feel secure in their role. Others, who are “on the bubble” or “out of the bubble,” feel they are one mistake away from losing minutes or their position on the team. 

This is an important distinction that changes how in-house mental health resources feel to the athlete. For example, a player “on the bubble” can worry that opening up changes how they are viewed. Coaches and a team mental wellness program can mitigate this fear by helping athletes understand that when they address mental health, it can improve their performance on the field. 

This is another reason why proactive mental well-being systems matter. The aforementioned review emphasizes implementation factors like adaptability. That is, the ability to tailor the program to the environment, and the importance of the instructor’s capacity to connect with athletes by meeting them where they are at.

Let’s take football as an example. I’ve heard many football coaches and those in leadership positions speak about how more than half of their players come from single-parent homes. They are also often raised by women. This absolutely matters because it translates into how that athlete trusts and receives information. 

I’ve also heard athletes tell me that they’re more comfortable speaking with a life coach rather than a licensed therapist for various reasons. (This doesn’t negate the role of a mental health professional, but rather may serve as a gateway to a higher level of care when needed.)

There are obviously many more considerations to make, but it’s easy to see why relatability is such an important trust factor. 

When a system is team-wide, celebrated, and consistent, athletes do not have to raise their hand as “struggling” to benefit. They can simply train the skills like everyone else, and have access to additional training when needed.

What The Research Says Makes Programs Work In Real Life

Naturally, we need to look at the barriers to integrating athlete mental training programs that actually work. The same 2025 study identified 11 facilitators and 3 barriers to implementation success.

Two of the main barriers were busy schedules and complex content. If a program requires long sessions, heavy homework, or abstract language, adoption drops. A simplistic and clear gameplan matters.

The study also looked at factors that improve buy-in and consistency in the programs. These include:

• Adaptability: Tailoring delivery and language to the specific sport context.
• Support: Having active buy-in from both coaches and teammates.
• Instructor Connection: The person leading the program must be able to build genuine trust.

Looking at these findings, the “instructor connection” piece is the real needle-mover in my experience. I’ve seen programs with incredible data and high-end tech fail simply because the person leading it couldn’t speak “athlete.” For example, sometimes facilitators get too much into the jargon of psychology and end up sounding like a professor lecturing a class, instead of making the content relatable. If you don’t have rapport in the training room or on the field, even the most evidence-based tools in the world will fall flat. 

In addition, we should consider sustainability and adaptability. Here’s how we might factor in the integration of the mental health programs as part of training:

• Short weekly touchpoints (think 15 to 25 minutes)
• Micro tools embedded into practice transitions (2 to 4 minutes)
• Optional resources for travel weeks (audio tools, quick prompts)
• Office hours for mental wellness and mental performance professionals
• Mental wellness and mental performance professionals on site at practices, training rooms, etc., to allow for building rapport and trust, while also observing athletes perform

This format also supports performance because it keeps the skills tied to real situations: resetting after mistakes, managing pressure, staying present, handling conflict, and bouncing back from setbacks.

The big takeaway, and current challenge, is that programs need to build something accessible to athletes that they will actually use. 

Life Beyond Sports Is Part Of The Job, Even If No One Says It

In zooming out, we know that every athlete leaves their sport at some point. We know the enormous toll that it often takes on identity, purpose, loss of camaraderie and community, as well as a loss of resources. This can lead to anxiety, depression, addiction, bankruptcy, and, in some tragic cases, suicide. 

When a program trains mental wellness like physical development, it plants the idea that mental skills are trainable, maintainable, and that it’s okay to get help. That mindset supports healthier transitions and better long-term outcomes. 

Think about it this way: Athletes are trained to perform at all costs, which often means compartmentalizing. While this is helpful for performance, it can become a larger issue if the individual adapts this mentality to all areas of his or her life. Humans are not meant to be robots. We all have emotions, and we need permission to unpack the heavy stuff. Programs and cultures that provide that space will go a long way in holistically supporting the entire person, which has enormous benefits on and off the field.

How to Start The Conversation With Your Athletic Director, Head Coach, Or Leadership Team

A mental wellness initiative earns its place when it supports the goals everyone already has:

• Retention that protects the roster and culture
• Performance steadiness and resilience under pressure
• Development that carries beyond sport

The research is clear about the difference between programs that look good on paper and programs that athletes actually use. If you want this to land in your environment, build it like training, keep it simple, and protect the coaching lane.

Our systems support this kind of implementation. They are designed to align with what the research says drives success in elite sport settings, including practical delivery, coach support, athlete trust, and a structure that fits busy schedules. For more information on our athlete mental health systems, please contact us here. 

Photo by Melissa McGovern on Unsplash