Never before has the spotlight on mental health in sport shone so brightly than it does today. Well publicised and high profile events have intensified the focus on an area RUPA has been passionately working on behind the scenes for a number of years.
On Saturday the 19th of September, RUPA’s General Manager of Player Development Rosemary Towner delivered a presentation to aspiring Level 3 rugby coaches titled ‘Mental Health in Sport’.
The Australian Rugby Union is the first national body to include Mental Health in its Level 3 curriculum and this will be the second cohort of coaches to benefit from the initiative.
The seminar examined and explored a number of current issues relating to mental health including the influence coaches have on player welfare, adopting strategies to help players cope with mental health issues and also discussing the impacts that mental health can have on players, coaches and the people they interact with.
“Coaches can have a powerful, positive influence in reducing stigma, normalising the need for help, recognising signs and symptoms, alerting support personnel and making sure that a player has the opportunity to perform at their best on the footy field” Towner said.
Whilst this session provided an entry level over of topics such as Depression, Anxiety and Addiction – it provided the opportunity for coaches to ask questions and discuss various scenarios. The information and resources provided were designed to provide a short insight to the issues and encourage further education on the topic throughout their coaching careers.
This presentation looked to build on the already significant work RUPA has undertaken to ensure player welfare, including delivering courses in Mental Health First Aid and specialist Suicide intervention workshops.
Later this year, representatives of some of the major sporting bodies from across the country will be attending RUPA’S seminar on Mental Health and Addiction, including the Australian Cricketers’ Association, the Rugby League Players Association and the Australian Football League Players Association, just to name a few.
Topics covered during that Seminar – hosted in conjunction with South Pacific Private Hospital – discussion will focus on the sporting environment including expectations on players, the role that support staff can play and vulnerabilities of players at the professional level. Discussion around Addiction education and how to successfully intervene when issues are identified will also be provided.
