London, ON  - Founded in 2024, the Mustangs Wellness Leads (MWL) program aims to support Western Mustangs student-athletes and provide access to appropriate mental health resources.

Spearheaded by Western's Director of Sport, CJ Ireland, Strength and Conditioning Manager, Dr. Cassie Ellis, and Sports & Recreation Project Manager, Ryan Power; the program treats student-athletes as people first and acknowledges that performance is multi-dimensional.



Mustangs Wellness Leads (MWL) serve as a trusted peer access point on each Western varsity team, offering a supportive, approachable first connection for student-athletes who may be struggling, and helping to guide them toward appropriate support resources.

MWLs are not therapists; rather they are trained on listening, maintaining healthy boundaries, and referring concerns, while working within a broader network of training, check-ins, and professional support to foster a culture of wellness and care within their respective team environment.
 
Student-athletes often face unique pressures in their dual-roles which can become overwhelming and damaging if not appropriately recognized and managed. "These demands include increased time pressures with balancing practice and competition schedules, performance pressures, injuries, challenges with body image, identity and disordered eating, and the historical sport stigma related to accessing support when needed", said Dr. Cassandra Ellis, Manager, Strength & Conditioning, Western Sports & Recreation.
 
Western has plenty of mental health resources on campus for students, but nothing specific for the unique lives of student-athletes. The goal of the MWL program is to bridge the gap and create the necessary access point. "Athletes are less likely to access mental health support when needed compared to the general population (Brown et al., 2023). Peer-support mental health programs have shown success in other areas of student life, but it hasn't been tried in the student-athlete context", said Dr. Ellis. "I am proud to help lead this initiative at Western - it's the first of its kind in Canada. Feedback has been extremely positive and it's allowed us to collaborate with other researchers and clinicians across Canada who recognize the importance of this program and encourage us to keep doing it".

The longer term goals of the program are two-fold; 1) gradually reduce or remove historical stigma around mental health in sport; 2) see student-athletes talk more openly about mental health and seek out resources.

Dr. Ellis believes "performance" is a concept that goes beyond statistics and measurements, and includes the whole-person. This rather new approach means that it also acknowledges the role of mental health, academics and nutrition. "Supporting athletes to maximize their performance has not always been interdisciplinary. As the research has grown, we are becoming more aware that a performance outcome can often be influenced by multiple factors, which calls on the need to appreciate the role of an interdisciplinary team in the care of student-athletes. For example, medical services engaging with psychologists during the management of a rehabilitation plan, or dietitians, exercise physiologists, and strength and conditioning coaches all collaborating to improve an athlete's ability to perform", she explained.
 
Dr. Ellis also highlights the need for mental health and well-being to be incorporated into sport training and team cultures. "Mental health and well-being need to be integrated into every aspect of sport, from coach training on Safe Sport guidelines and how to support athletes' mental health, to promoting a culture of transparency and acceptance, to thoughtful, intentional training and competition programs that consider the demands student-athletes face".

The ideal culture is a "mentally healthy" one, which in practice can be observed as 1) openness amongst peers, coaches, healthcare providers and staff; 2) teammates who are positive and uplifting; 3) athletes who can perform physically and mentally under pressure; 4) coaches and teammates who recognize early signs of distress and understand the available resources, and know how to access them.

"Mental health is just as important to performance as physical health, failing to understand mental health fails to recognize an athlete as a person first. Mental performance and sport psychology are well established in improving physical performance (reduce stress and anxiety, improve confidence and focus, develop coping strategies, visualization, etc.). Supporting mental health allows athletes to have a more positive experience in sport, stay in sport longer, and remove barriers in reaching their potential", Dr. Ellis elaborated. "Mental health and Safe Sport are not discussed in Canada's Longterm Development in Sport and Physical Activity 3.0 framework. The MWL organizing committee is trying to change this by being active advocates for mental health in sport. Our MWLs are championing this everyday with their respective teammates and our organizing committee are sharing the success with this program broadly through presenting at International Conferences on topics such as sport psychology and social identity in sport".

When selecting MWLs, it is important to Western Sports & Recreation, and the program, that these athletes hold the respect of their teammates and are leaders that can provide support in creating a safe environment.



Co-captain of the Mustangs men's basketball team, Milan John emphasized the positive impact being a MWL has had on his university experience. "I have learned a lot and have been able to connect with my teammates on a deeper level just by understanding certain ways to approach situations within basketball or outside. I appreciate you giving me an opportunity like this these past couple years. It has really changed the way my university career has gone and can't thank you enough", said John.

"MWLs receive thorough and specific training from wellness & wellbeing clinicians and educators on navigating difficult conversations and setting boundaries, complete safeTALK training, etc. They are also trained in how to access mental health support at Western. Lastly, MWL's are provided guidance on when to reach out to staff, coaches or clinicians, and who to contact if they or their teammates are in crisis", said Dr. Ellis.

Financial support from the Parr Centre allows the MWL program to provide training sessions, speakers and engagement opportunities specific to athlete mental health. It also allows for the creation of resource cards, wellness kits, and other events including reading week socials. For instance, MWL teamed up with Western's Wellness and Wellbeing to create student-athlete specific resources and have distributed them to all of the student-athletes since we started last year. The funding also compensates MWLs for their time and commitment to the program.

In its second year, the program has shown drastic growth as well as strong potential to support Western student-athletes. For more information about the program, visit the MWL site here.

Resources:

If you or someone you know needs support, you are not alone. Western students can find information about and access mental health and wellness resources through Western Wellness & Well-being. Reaching out is a strong first step.

Visit: Mental Health Support - Health & Wellness - Western University

Reference:
Brown, K. R., Quinton, M. L., Tidmarsh, G., & Cumming, J. (2023). Athletes' access to, attitudes towards and experiences of help-seeking for mental health: a scoping review protocol. BMJ open, 13(4), e062279. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-062279