About Cutler Wellness Programs and Our Mission
“Athlete Mental Health L*I*N*K is dedicated to the fundamental premise that professional and collegiate athletes need to be provided a coordinated and integrated mental health & wellness program. That Youth Sport Organizations along with Middle & High School athletes and their Eco-Systems should be exposed to common mental health issues that athletes face.”
OUR MISSION ON ATHLETE MENTAL HEALTH
Cutler Wellness Programs, LLC. (CWP) is dedicated to the fundamental premise that ALL athletes should be provided a confidential, coordinated, and integrated mental wellness program as a part of their Professional/Collegiate/High School athletic career. In addition to making their time in athletics a healthier experience, athletic programming should provide strategies that will translate to every part of the athlete’s life. Our focus is breaking athlete stigma, to increase mental health literacy, and to provide practical resources to help improve athletes & coaches lives.
Our Four Company Objectives are EDUCATION - MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS & RESOUCRES - ADVOCACY - RESEARCH
OBjective I - Education:
Athlete Mental Health Curriculum/Programming: Research shows that there is a direct relationship between an increase in mental health knowledge that leads to a decrease in stigma!! Let’s educate our athletes on all levels. We need to begin with Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) with our Pre-school & Elementary aged children. Let’s give them tools and language that begins the journey on Mental Health Resiliency. From there let’s keep the conversation going as well as the Mental Health Education base of knowledge as our kids grow into adulthood.
1) We need to begin the Athlete Mental Health conversation in Youth Sports.
2) We need to break athlete stigma and educate Athletes AND Coaches at ALL levels from AAU/Club - High School - Collegiate - Professional.
objective II- Mental Health Supports & resources:
CWP believes that it is critical to offer unique ways for Athletes to Seek Behavioral Health supports. We have partnered with AthMindset, LLC to provide “Athlete-Centric” Clinical and Sport Performance options. We are always encouraging our clients to identify a Mental Health Coordinator- breaking down walls for athletes to know who to turn to for information of sport organization/community supports and resources.
CWP often advocates for Institutions of Higher Learning to add a Sport Clinical track in various degree programs. Many states are wastelands when it comes to Athlete-trained clinical intervention options.
And of Course, we Offer the Athlete MH LINK mobile app in a FREE Version for ALL to access to National MH Resources!
Betsy Cutler, CEO is a foundering member of the Youth Sport Mental Health Alliance of Eastern VA. Our goal is to promote youth sport organizations to incorporate Mental Health Awareness into their programming. Betsy as a MH Educator is presenting at our #BenchTheStigma Virtual Event in March 2021
objective IIi - Advocacy:
Advocacy includes discussion and promotion in ANY way possible that - every level of athletics should have an established relationship with a Mental Health Professional. This may look different based on the size of the institution, but the goal remains the same. Professional organizations and larger institutions should have Mental Health services embedded in their athletic programs, while smaller programs should have an established relationship with a community Mental Health Professional.
Our CEO, Betsy Cutler is a founding member of the Youth Sport Mental Health Alliance of Eastern VA.
This advocacy includes following, promoting, and making topical positive social media posts. It also includes media opportunities where we discuss Athlete Mental Health Needs, like on The Mater 102.9; AthMindset’s Podcast; VCU’s Center for Sport Leadership Podcasts; National Conference Meeting’s (NAIA, NJCAA & NSCAA).
objective IV - Research:
CWP is dedicated to the synthesis of athlete mental health research. We want all of our programming to be based on current data and trends. Our founder, Betsy Cutler, has done seminal research on Student-Athlete Perceptions of Stress, Support, and Seeking Mental Health Services. Her research surveyed 158 Division I athletes from four universities seeking to explore perceptions of stress, coping mechanisms, support from coaches and some athletic department personnel, and the stigma of seeking help. The results indicated student-athletes perceive stress impacting their daily life, but in different forms. Student-athletes were also more likely to seek help from non-team support staff than coaches and team-related support staff, and in general, perceived teammates who sought mental health treatment more positively than their perception of how their teammate would treat other teammates.
Elite Athlete Mental Health Research
This survey was designed by a mental health professional and is distributed by Cutler Wellness Programs, LLC and Athletes Soul. It is a confidential survey and individual responses WILL NOT be shared with any team/sport organizations.
Our Survey Goal is to determine
* What level of knowledge Elite & Professional athletes have regarding mental health concepts;
* How these athletes perceive their systematic support structures;
* What level of organizational mental health educational and preventative programs are in place, and
* If athletes would use these programs for their mental health.
The results from this survey will be used to develop adequate mental health and wellness programs for athletes and improve the Athlete Mental Health Link app.