This blog gives coaches and participants some crucial but simple ways to understand and make accessible sport and exercise sessions in a way that looks after everyone. In the first instance we will discuss how it is vital that the coach, instructor or volunteer has the strength themselves to be in control of their mental health before we look to consider how they can approach those with mental health problems within the group.
This blog is inspired around a fantastic course that comes highly recognised by the Time To Heal Team.The online course offered and delivered by 1st4Sport which we have completed shares a huge amount of information and resources that are practical and easy to implement. It requires an open mind and the desire to actually want to help those with Mental Health Conditions.
Don’t worry we won’t give all the secrets away BUT we will start to get you on your journey and then hopefully you will see the importance and value of the course and complete it yourself!
The first place we need to start here is with coaches and instructors delivering sport and exercise. With increased mental health conditions being recognised and anxiety high knowing how to support those with these problems in a simple, effective and constructive way is going to be important. With COVID-19 causing us so many different emotions and anxieties everyone you have coached / instructed before and your new comers will be rolling along their own pathways and transitions back to norm and then the fact that sessions are likely to be adapted because of Government legislations mean you may have everyone returning at different levels in terms of fitness, mental health and physical readiness. This will clearly be very different if you have ‘sheilders’ and you may even find that some of your best players / participants are not coming to the sessions as they still don’t feel safe.
Coach / Instructor
However, before we touch that it’s YOU the instructor or coach who comes first. If you are not mentally aware of your own health then how can you help others? Plus if you have had mental health problems in the past helping another person though their problems could result in your own mental health declining. There’s potential that it could reignite past feelings and bring to the front new issues, memories or set backs which is essential to avoid.
On the other hand, if you are well that’s great and if you have fully recovered from say Depression which was caused by something specific which is now years in the past and well managed now then your experiences could be utilised in support of others and mean you have great skills already that you can apply to supporting your athletes and participants. Likewise if you are the participant and able to share information or there are others in the group / club who you know that have had problems in the past you could put these skills to good use.
Sometimes it can be hard to find what you need in an ever emerging support network opening up as the COVID crisis has firmly hit our mental health in so many different ways. The world for some is fine and they cope but for others it’s like walking on egg shells and they really struggle.
One way to tackle this is through a Wellness Action Plan. Anyone can complete these. MIND state that;
‘Everyone can complete a WAP, you don't need to have a mental health problem in order to feel the benefits. It just means that you already have practical steps in place to ensure you are supported when you aren't feeling great’.
There are some key skills that you are going to need if you are to safely and effectively support for those with mental health / and or long term health conditions. You must be very aware of your participants and monitor their progress with you, whilst showing respect and empathy to the whole group.
Mental Health Spectrum
With there being so many mental health problems you are never going to be able to recognise all of these in your athletes and participants. Nor as an individual will you necessarily recognise these in yourself if you have never come across mental health conditions within your family and friends. Your job isn’t to diagnose and treat. But if you recognise a change in behaviour, a change to personal care, erratic attendance or non attendance which is different to normal or perhaps a change in confidence levels or concentration these could all be warning signs that something is not quite right. Of course it could be that there has been a lot of change or a sad event has occurred so don’t always assume it’s a mental health problem. It could be grief or worries over finance or that someone is just moving home and they need time to come back to normal after a peak in stress levels that will settle down on their own. However, showing some compassion and recognising this will be appreciated if done in the correct way. That moves us carefully into communication.
Communication
What do you feel comfortable about doing if you do spot these changes and how should you go about it. Firstly;
A Time To change study in 2008 found that ’50% of people with mental health problems said they faced stigma’. Although, there is promotion of mental health more now than ever there are still the ‘doubters’ and the ‘toughen up’ people, so some people may not be open to talking freely.
If your participant has got a long term health condition or mental health condition they are likely to be more open and possibly attend with a carer or in children’s case their parents. So in some cases it might be better to approach them first.
So how you approach the participant is a matter of what you feel comfortable doing. The person you wish to help may not understand what is happening to them, but if you are willing to try to reach out to them even with an ‘Are you OK? You seem a little distracted today? We missed you at the last session, did you have something else you had to do? All of these are very open questions and will help them to see that you care and you can gain their trust which is vital.
Simply listening and understanding in a way that enables you to offer help and guidance is what we want the outcome to be. However, remember that you can’t help everyone. If someone doesn’t want to talk or get help then you can’t force it on them! However if they do then allocate a time and suitable place with them where you can talk in a quiet place and you won’t be rushed or overheard. Perhaps before the next session or after everyone else has gone home.
However, don’t be concerned if you cannot approach them straight away and theres no one you can trust to support you. Why not get everyone in the group to complete a Wellness Plan, allow participants time to do this but also not pressure them. With that said if the behaviour of this person starts to cause a problem within your session and they are becoming aggressive or disruptive then you will have to deal with the scenario in one way or another to protect the rest of your team or group.
Ensure that any conversation remains confidential unless you feel that the person’s ‘life’ could be in danger. Never promise to keep it a secret and explain it will stay confidential unless they wish for the information to be shared or it’s what you consider to be an emergency.
Adaptations
Implementing some simple changes can enable participants to see they can trust and come to you if they need to.Likewise if you work in this way it will be beneficial for your own knowledge, but also word of mouth is still a great thing and you will be much more able to support people who arrive and announce to you they have mental health problems.
With the current environment and troubled world that we live in it may just give that element of trust that you need to find out if there is a problem, not to mention the fact they you are already having to adapt your sessions to comply with COVID related restrictions and distancing.
Prior to returning to swimming our Swimming Club released survey’s to all members about returning to swim with the support of Swim England. These were then analysed by our club so coaches were aware of those who were still anxious, those not wanting to return or those wanting to return but with less hours or scared to attend training. A simple method to use that doesn’t single anyone out. Even just starting a conversation with your participants during a drinks break and encourage everyone to talk to each other about mental health would be a great start.
Research and the ability to Signpost
It’s highly important not to think that either you as the coach or as the participant should feel guilty about finding yourself in a position where you are ‘out of your depth’. Asking for help early is vitally important so looking out for some of the key signs and then ‘advertising’ or ‘exploring these avenues first is sometimes the better option. The last thing that you want to do is create confrontation or to push the person in trouble away and leaving them to decline rapidly into a very dark and dismal situation. That leads us into resources that are available to support you.
Resources
There are some amazing charities, groups, support networks and helplines that you can tap into which will help you understand mental health, recognise the signs that someone may be struggling, identify any barriers that need to be tackled and then get talking about mental health and gain the knowledge to quickly signpost people towards help if they need additional support that you are unable to give yourself. Below are just a few of those which we feel are extremely beneficial.
If you can provide the right environment, be prepared to think outside the box, take care of yourself first, listen, signpost and take action if your concerns are serious then you will be doing a fantastic job.
So be safe, be aware, show empathy and gain the trust of everyone you coach / teach then you will be creating a very special place where everyone can flourish.
As usual the all important links are below for you to utilise
1st4Sport
So If you are a forward thinking coach and would like to complete this invaluable course then click the link and check the courses availability. With just 4 easy to complete modules you’ll get case studies and resources throughout that will be a real benefit to you and whoever you work with on any level. If you are part of an organisation there is the potential for you to get a bespoke course for everyone. This can be done through the ‘Contact us’ course link on the store page. Around 400 people in Essex have completed this so far showing how forward thinking and accepting coaches, instructors and participants are!
Although we have focused on the Mental Health Course here, there are plenty of other courses available currently including ones for school teachers, introducing competitive sport, the basics of coaching and mentoring. All courses are online, you have plenty of time to complete them, once registered you can access the resources for your completed course and they are very cheap to do. The slides are engaging and your knowledge will be tested as you move through the course to ensure you have understood what you have learnt.
MIND
Mind are going to be a great resource for you to tap into and utilise. As promised the link below will take you to the Wellness Action Plan. There are three different versions that you can choose from.
The next link takes you to Seeking help for a Mental Health Problem. Download the PDF document or read the website for further details.
They are also one of the charitable organisations that work alongside the ‘We Are Undefeatables’ Project. This campaign is all about breaking down sport and exercise and supporting those with Long Term Health Conditions.
EleFriends
‘Elefriends is a supportive online community where you can be yourself. We all know what it’s like to struggle sometimes, but now there’s a safe place to listen, share and be heard’.
Another great website and source of information for yourself or signposting that means people can connect with others in a safe place without judgement and compliments the work that MIND do really well.
One member of the community posted the following review;
‘After feeling low this morning i checked my messages to find I had a really caring message sent to me by someone I haven't even met in real life. This is frankly amazing and definitely not taken for granted’.(https://www.elefriends.org.uk)
Activity Alliance.
This organisation is the fore-front of Disability sport with their mission statement being to;
‘Work to make active lives possible. We do this by enabling organisations to support disabled individuals to be and stay active. Our work is centred on research and insight with disabled people as well as our engagement with organisations from various sectors’.
‘In October 2014, Activity Alliance released our Talk to Me report. This document provides examples of ways in which each principle has been implemented in practice’.
The document may be one from the past but is still very relevant and especially right now as we transition back to our ‘normal’ sport, exercise and fitness activities so what better time to evaluate what you are already doing well and pick out something that you could add in to make your offer more effective or as a participant to look at something that is now a challenge for you that has occurred because of lockdown and a way to communicate that with the instructor/coach in a clear and simple way. The document can be downloaded from the link below and outlines the simple steps that you can take to support those with any disability or mental health problem access your ‘offer’, have their values and difficulties listened to and observed. It could be introduced by either the participant or the actual coach as an indicator of good communication between both parties coming together to produce significant benefits for everyone.
Following on from this there are inclusive activity workshops that you may also find useful once you have mastered the Mental Health! Frequently people with mental health problems can be associated with disability so this information supports both.
The Pituitary Foundation
As mentioned above people with Long Term Health Conditions often face huge challenges to exercise and frequently develop mental health problems. Although this is aimed at Pituitary Patients the well being sections will give you a fantastic insight into what your participants may face, especially with COVID adding extra stress and if you are working with any participants who have had to shield or who are classed as vulnerable. Even if they didn’t experience mental health problems before they are likely to at least be a bit anxious about returning so this may help. Of course if you know that the participant has a certain condition then approach the appropriate charity or ask if they already use one and see if they want to share that information with you! For now have a look at The Pituitary Foundation for great updates and ideas.
From this link you can download an informative booklet about the Psychological impact a Pituitary condition can cause.
Essex County Council
Active Essex and The All Together Active Essex programme for those with Long Term Medical Conditions and Disabilities have a focus each month for the Ambassador Programme. So watch out for ‘stories’ and ‘journey’s’ of all the Ambassadors over the course of this month. The all important links are below;
This home page will give you an insight into some of the work being carried out by the programme.
Meet the Ambassadors Already included in the programme.
This is an invaluable resource that you can tap into. It showcases the work that the All Together Programme are doing in conjunction with supporting organisations, some of which are mental health organisations and some a combination.
Next week we are gunning for the top in our last mental health blog of the series to help us get into tip top mental shape from the Royal Family down to our hardy and willing football fans, players and clubs.
Any hobby can leave a void if snatched away by Corona. In this blog we focus on football and the mental health of supporters with the guidance of The Heads Together Team and the Sound Of Support programme but there is something for everyone so come back next week for some extra support.......
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