Examination of the Licensure Differences of Mental Health Professionals in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Athletic Departments

Abstract

The high rates of depression, anxiety, suicide, and other mental health disorders among collegiate student-athletes have resulted in the need for appropriate mental health services. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has released a best practices guide for mental health in college sport that includes licensed psychologists (LP), licensed clinical social workers (LCSW), and licensed professional counselors (LPC) as competent to provide mental health services to student-athletes. However, an examination of the differences between these three licenses is absent from the literature. This essay offers an overview on these differences to clarify the purview of each license as there is confusion surrounding the different types of professionals that can provide mental health services. A detailed description of what is means to hold an LP, LCSW, and LPC distinction is provided, followed by a discussion of the difference between mental health licensure and certification as a certified mental performance consultant (CMPC). This will assist administrators, athletic administrators, and student-athletes in making informed decisions about mental health care.

"From Sweats to Suits": Administrators' Recommendations For Student-Athlete Career Development Services.

“…Recently, researchers have noted the importance of holistic care for the student-athletes (Beasley et al, 2022a;McHenry et al, 2021;Waller et al, 2016). Holistic care addresses athlete care beyond the physical, including the mental, social, and emotional well-being associated with the student-athlete experience (Hotz, 2003).…”

“…The integration and communication among and between these groups provides an interprofessional team. As such, scholars are using the holistic care model to understand the importance and role of various groups who assist the athletes, including athletic trainers (Beasley et al, 2022a), team chaplains (Beasley et al, 2022b;Waller et al, 2016) and mental health care professionals (McHenry et al, 2022). Following this perspective, we use the holistic approach and focus on a key contributor that has been under examined-the career development staff.…”

“…Interprofessional teams refer to departments which employ people with different professional skillsets. The benefits of constructing an interprofessional team are quite suitable for the holistic care model for the student-athlete (Bader & Martin, 2019;Beasley et al, 2022a;Steffen, 2014). In the case of the student-athlete support center, there are varying types of employees specializing in different areas to help the student-athlete develop during their college years (Botelho, 2019).…”

“…The idea of an interprofessional team is integral to creating a holistic care model of care for the student-athlete (Beasley et al, 2022a). In this study, we examine holistic care that exists within the student-athlete academic support center, as well as the interprofessional teams that are constructed to create this model of care.…”

“…Theoretically, this work examines student-athlete career development using a model of holistic care within sport management research. Previously, holistic care has been applied in the context of athletic trainers (Beasley et al, 2022a), sport chaplains (Beasley et al, 2022b) and mental health professionals (McHenry et al, 2022). The current study uses the model to explore student-athlete career development.…”