Student Athletes' Perceived Barriers to and Preferences for Seeking Counseling

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate attitudes of intercollegiate student athletes regarding their use of counseling services. The authors assessed student athletes’ perceived barriers to seeking counseling services and their preferred characteristics of a helping professional. Several barriers to counseling were identified. Results suggest student athletes have strong preferences for counselor characteristics, including familiarity with sports, gender, and age. Practical applications of these findings are discussed.

Taking a Timeout to Ensure Well-Being: Social Work Involvement in College Sports

“…A second barrier is attitudes and personal characteristics, which include a college athlete's lack of confidence in helping professionals, preconceived ideas about how others will view the problem (e.g., coaches, administrators, and teammates), and concerns that seeking help will only hurt athletic performance (Gulliver et al, 2012;Jorm, Wright, & Morgan, 2007;Lopez & Levy, 2013). A third type of barrier is stigma, which includes a college athlete's concerns over privacy and confidentiality and feelings of weakness (Lopez & Levy, 2013;Maniar, Curry, Sommers-Flanagan, & Walsh, 2001;Watson, 2005). The final type of barrier is practical challenges that a college athlete might face such as limited free time and services not being available when there is free time (Lopez & Levy, 2013;Maniar et al, 2001;Watson, 2005).…”

“…A third type of barrier is stigma, which includes a college athlete's concerns over privacy and confidentiality and feelings of weakness (Lopez & Levy, 2013;Maniar, Curry, Sommers-Flanagan, & Walsh, 2001;Watson, 2005). The final type of barrier is practical challenges that a college athlete might face such as limited free time and services not being available when there is free time (Lopez & Levy, 2013;Maniar et al, 2001;Watson, 2005).…”

“…College athletes believe in order for them to accept psychosocial help the following must exist: having an individual associated with an athletic department providing the help and having a helping professional who has knowledge of athletics (previous college playing experience preferred) (Lopez & Levy, 2013). Conversely, research has identified a number of possible facilitators of help-seeking, which includes emotional competence, mental health literacy, positive attitudes towards seek professional help, positive past experiences, social encouragement, and the increased availability of professional help (Gulliver et al, 2012;Jorm et al, 2007;Kelly et al, 2007).…”

“…The researcher speculates that while Division I programs offered a wider range of services and had more staff to address psychosocial needs than Division III programs, that the needs of Division I college athletes are often more severe and are not met by traditional counseling programs on campus. Additionally, it is possible that Division I athletic directors recognize that services are not available during the free time of college athletes, which highlights the need for extended service hours, the ability to make appointments, or to have an individual whose sole responsibility is to look exclusively at the needs of college athletes (Lopez & Levy, 2013;Manier et al, 2001;Watson, 2005). Future programing might also explore how time management, peer mentoring, and leadership development programs might positively influence the response to psychosocial needs.…”

“…If college athletes are going to get their psychosocial needs met, colleges and universities must find ways to break down the barriers mentioned above and the other barriers identified by college athletes (Lopez & Levy, 2013;Maniar et al, 2001;Watson, 2005). The current service structure presents too many challenges to college athletes.…”