coaches, you ARE THE EXTENDED EYES, EARS + HEARTS OF OUR VILLAGE,

Often spending more time with youth than any other adult.

In sport, we talk about setting athletes up for success; when it comes to equipping you, our coaches, with the skills, tools and supports you need to help athletes navigate mental health challenges - we’re falling short.

Statistically speaking, if you’re coaching 30 student-athletes, 6 of them will experience a severe mental disorder at some point in their lives. And that’s just the reported numbers; there are estimates that the number of adolescents suffering from mental illness is up around 60%. These numbers are pre-pandemic.

Here’s the thing…

50% of all mental illness begins by age 14.

75% of all mental illness begins by age 24.

You’re on the front lines every day, often without the proper the proper tools and training to help an athlete who may be navigating a mental health or substance use challenge.

Signs and symptoms can go unnoticed - and it’s not because you don’t care.

Many of you are unsure of what to say or do - or who to turn to. So, you might:

Shut the conversation down. I don’t want to say the wrong thing. I’m not going there.
Dismiss warning signs as behavioral issues. Kids just being kids. They just need to toughen up or get over it.
Or step out of their area of expertise and take on the role of a mental health professional. Just trying to help. I don’t want to betray their trust.
We hear you.
And we’re here to help.
THE GOOD NEWS is WE CAN.
Statistically, you’re more likely to encounter an athlete who is navigating a mental health or substance use challenge than you are an athlete experiencing a heart attack. Training in CPR is standard practice for coaches - why not Mental Health First Aid?
Let’s change that. Let’s get you the tools, skills AND support you need to elevate your mental health literacy, increase knowledge of signs, symptoms and stigma, increase your confidence in your ability to handle a real-world mental health situation.
Coaches, let’s do this. Together.

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**register for a Youth* Mental Health First aid certification**

Clicking on the calendar to sign up for a training.

*This training is for adults who coach athletes who are between the ages of 8-26 years old.

Interested in a training, but can’t make the dates listed here, please reach out to Samantha directly.

"Taking Mental Health First Aid with a group of great facilitators and fellow coaches allowed us all to have a unified approach to reducing the stigma associated with mental health and begin conversations to change the way that our team cultures' create positive environments for challenges that athletes face with mental health.
MHFA provided a safe space for the conversations that coaches need to be having and fostered an environment to let coaches ask questions about topics that many of us felt we did not have clear guidance on. Going through the MHFA certification allowed me to see how my reactions, responses and follow-up as a coach in both non-crisis and crisis situations could be done with the best of intentions and still not be serving my athletes well. The certification was well organized, the content provided was digestible (and so very important), and the training left me feeling encouraged and empowered to better support athletes who struggle with mental health."
-Rachel Judge, Associate Head Coach, Women’s Swimming, New Mexico State University

this is…

"Mental Health First Aid offered relevant, real-world scenarios + strategies on how to help."
- Rob Livingstone, Director of Sports Performance at Williams College, 22 years of coaching experience, Mental Health First Aider

“Taking MHFA with other coaches has provided me the tools and strategies that I know I need to better serve my athletes, parents, volunteers and staff. MHFA has helped me create new pathways for developing meaningful connections that will help our staff better engage our swimmers during times of mental health challenges or crisis.”
- Mike Murray, Head Coach, Victor Swim Club Owner, Warrior High Performance Lessons, USA Swimming Coach ASCA Level 5, 15 years of coaching, Mental Health First Aider

What is youth mental health first aid?

Mental Health First Aid USA is an evidence-based training— like regular First Aid or CPR — sponsored by the National Council for Behavioral Health that’s designed to give people the skills to help someone who may be developing a mental health challenge or experiencing a mental health crisis.

Who’s this training for?

Those of us who coach youth, adolescents and emerging adult athletes.

What will we learn?

Mental Health First Aid is an evidence-based curriculum that teaches you 1) how to identify, understand, and respond if we think a young person may be developing a mental health challenge or experiencing a crisis; 2) signs and symptoms of mental health challenges, like anxiety disorders, depression, ADHD and eating disorders; 3) how to connect to resources.

How does it work?

After registration, you’ll complete 2 hours of self-paced, pre-work and then participate in a live 4.5 hour training with like-minded adults who care deeply.

Upon completion, you’ll be welcomed into the Coaches2Coaches Network, a private membership space for you to connect with other coaches, share best practices, apply newly learned skills and elevate your own mental fitness and well-being.

What’s the cost?

Enrollment includes 6.5 hours training, digital access to updated participant manual (2020), participant guide and self-care worksheets AND one year’s access to the C2C Network and membership space. The cost is $375.

How do I register?

Scroll up to the calendar and click on the dark gray boxes to register for a training. Or access the upcoming events page here.

What is the WAI?

The WHOLE Athlete Initiative (The WAI) is a holistic approach to cultivating high-performance that honors the development of the WHOLE athlete, mind, body and soul, by providing pillars of support to individuals, teams and organizations that elevate mental health and improve performance.

Coaches2Coaches is one of those pillars, founded + built by the WholeHealth Sport Team, focused on training coaches in MHFA ands supporting them as they put those skills to use in real-time.

Want to bring a Mental health first aid training to your team or organization?

Schedule a free, 20 minute strategy call with samantha

our wholehealth sport founders

Dr. Katie Kilty is a former collegiate athlete, coach, professor at Endicott College, principal at MindPower Resources, trained facilitator of Dr. Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead, Rising Strong and Gifts of Imperfection, instructor of Mental Health First Aid + sports psych consultant with over 20 years of experience.

Lynn Hennighausen, MS is a former 2-sport collegiate athlete, leader of non-profit Davidson Lifeline, led trainings for > 13,000 people, mother of 3 + National Trainer of Mental Health First Aid.

Samantha Arsenault Livingstone, MS.Ed, OLY is an Olympic Gold Medalist, 7x NCAA All-American, co-captain of NCAA Championship Team, former classroom teacher + club coach, mother of four, CEO of Livingstone High Performance, instructor of MHFA + facilitator of Mindful Sports Performance Enhancement.