Your Source for Sports Related Mental Health Resources

    In an Emergency? Find Help Now

    Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room if you are in a life-threatening situation.

    • Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room if you are in a life-threatening situation.
    • If you are feeling suicidal or experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 to talk to a trained counselor at the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can also chat online at 988lifeline.org.
    • In the aftermath of a disaster, call or text the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990. This helpline provides crisis support for natural or man-made disaster-related stress.
    • If you are a service member or veteran, consider calling the Veterans Crisis Line for support. Simply call 988 and press 1, text 838255, or chat online at veteranscrisisline.net.

    You are not alone. Mental health affects athletes at every level.

    From youth sports to professional competition, athletes face unique pressures that can impact mental well-being, including performance expectations, injuries, transitions, relationships, and life beyond the game. No matter your sport or role, seeking support is a sign of strength. Here, you’ll find mental health resources we trust to be accurate, approachable, and stigma-free, so you can spend less time searching and more time focusing on your well-being, performance, and recovery.

    Not sure where to start? Explore the latest edition of The Athlete Mental Health Playbook, featuring real questions answered by experts and built to support the mental side of sport.

    Latest Edition

    The Athlete Mental Health Playbook

    Real Questions. Expert Answers. Built for the Mental Side of Sports.

    • Why Does Mental Health Matter for Athletes?
      • Mental health affects every aspect of an athlete’s life, from performance and recovery to relationships and overall well-being. This playbook explores why mental health matters in sports and provides expert insights to help athletes thrive on and off the field.

    The Athlete Mental Health Playbook features new questions and expert answers released on the second Thursday of each month.

    Sports Resources

    Sports mental health resources designed to support athletes, coaches, parents, and teams both on and off the field.

    • Active Minds
      • Active Minds is a nonprofit organization focused on empowering youth and reshaping discussions about mental health.
    • ADAA
      • The Anxiety & Depression Association of America promotes the prevention, treatment, and cure of anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, and related disorders.
    • Athletes For Hope
      • The Athlete Mental Health Alliance (AMHA) aims to amplify athletes’ lived experiences and voices to drive systemic change around athlete mental health.
    • Athletes Mental Health Foundation
      • The Athletes Mental Health Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to transforming athletic systems to better support mental well-being.
    • NCAA & Sport Science Institute
      • Mental Health Best Practices: Understanding and Supporting Student-Athlete Mental Health provides recommendations for team, athletics, campus and community-based approaches to supporting, promoting and managing student-athlete mental health concerns.
    • Opening Minds
      • Targeted to Athletes and Coaches, The Working Mind – Sports mental health course strives to improve the culture of mental health in sport.
    • Our Minds Matter
      • Athletes’ Minds Matter is a teen-led initiative within the nonprofit Our Minds Matter that embeds mental health check-ins and discussions into the daily routines of student athletes.
    • The American College of Sports Medicine
      • ACSM publishes peer-reviewed journals, books, online education courses and digital resources on athlete mental health. Their Healthy Youth Sports Podcast dives into youth and adolescent sports, injury prevention, physical activity and health with some of the world’s leading subject matter experts.
    • The National Alliance for Eating Disorders
      • The Alliance provides referrals, education, free therapist led support groups, and recovery resources for individuals experiencing eating disorders and their loved ones.
    • The Hidden Opponent
      • The Hidden Opponent is the leading non-profit organization for athlete mental health advocacy, education, and support. They provide accessible resources and unite a global community to empower athletes to prioritize their mental health and shatter the stigma within sports culture.
    • The Defensive Line
      • The Defensive Line’s mission is to end the public health crisis of youth suicide by centering the experience of people of color and transforming the way we communicate and connect about mental health. TDL offers suicide prevention workshops and trainings for schools and organizations.
    • U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee & Team USA
      • The USOPC Mental Health & Performance Directory is a public resource to connect Team USA athletes with highly-qualified mental health and mental performance providers who have experience working with elite athletes.

    Additional Kicking The Stigma Resources

    Ways We're Advancing Mental Health in Sports

    • The Youth Athlete Mental Health Playbook
      • A guide for coaches, parents, and caregivers to support youth athletes, by the Mental Health Coalition and Kicking The Stigma.
    • Annual High School Coaches Mental Health Summit, supported by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
      • Supported by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the Annual High School Coaches Mental Health Summit features specialized training from Opening Minds, an initiative of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, equipping coaches and athletic directors with practical tools to better support the mental well-being of student-athletes.
        • June of 2027 date to be announced in the coming months.