SportsPulse: Sports mental health expert Eric Kussin lists why we need to keep an eye on athletes when they return to action because there is a lot more at stake than their physical well-being.
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Once the NBA resumes its season in a controlled environment, players will have to worry more than win. They will have several concerns about how the shooting season can affect their mental health.
Boston Celtics striker Gordon Hayward will be away from his pregnant wife Robyn and his children until birth is expected in September.
“It’s definitely a stressful time for us,” said Hayward, whose wife and children are moving to Indianapolis to be close to the family while he is with the Celtics as part of the 2019-20 NBA reboot at the ESPN Disney Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando.
Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal said the players are worried about being isolated on a campus where their departure is discouraged. If a person on campus leaves, the person is subject to additional tests and additional quarantine times.
“We can’t leave,” said Beal. “We can’t just order all the food we want. We can’t just do activities we want to do. We can’t go to our teammate’s room. There are a lot of (curses) we can’t do. It’s difficult. I understand it from the point of view. of mental well-being. “
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There is concern about the COVID-19 pandemic but also an aspect of mental health and well-being in life within the bubble-like environment that is worrying. It will be addressed.
“There is no doubt that there is a huge sacrifice that everyone who is on this campus is making to restart the league, and therefore we will have to keep an eye on these problems,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
By adopting a proactive approach, the NBA has established various mental health resources.
Clinical services on site
This provides direct services to players, staff, referees and others, and the mental health professional will also serve as a general resource for sharing information and questions on the pitch and will be the contact person in an emergency for mental health.
Off-site clinical services
Before the start of this season, each team was required to have a mental health doctor and, if that person is not on campus, teleassistance and additional services will be provided. The NBA will make further telephone and video consultations available.
Wellness resources
Self-care will be encouraged through various activities, including “yoga, meditation, recreation rooms with video games, cards, table tennis … as well as group excursions between bowling, boating, fishing and golf”.
Addressing problems through defense and conversations
The NBA acknowledged the uncertainty and unrest “with the current COVID-19 pandemic and following the tragic murders of unarmed black Americans and will continue to address these traumatic experiences and their impacts on mental health by providing safe spaces to process these experiences. especially while individuals are physically distant from their communities, while also discussing ways to be part of the collective solution. “
Smartphone app
The NBA Campus app will provide resource tools for mental health, including access to an on-site doctor 24/7.
“Mental health is the most important thing that many of us players think first, right, because although many of us always seem to be all together or that we are fine, as most people do. It’s not always like that, especially out of quarantine and many of us are in situations we’ve never been before, and now we’re getting into an even tougher situation, “said Chris Paul, president of the Oklahoma City Thunder Guard and the National Basketball Players Association.
Mental health has received significant attention in recent seasons and the league believes that these are necessary additions and, in some cases, continuations of programs already established through the NBA’s Mind Health program. Players and staff will be updated on these services when checking in on campus.
Additionally, NBPA Player Welfare Consultant Keyon Dooling will be on site and available to players for part of the reboot, and NBPA Mental Health and Well-Being Director Dr. William Parham will be available for offsite services.
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The WNBA will provide “comparable mental health resources to players, coaches, staff and on-site referees, including on-site clinical services through a mental health professional, an off-site mental health professional, as well as resources for campus wellness and conversations. criticism “for his reboot at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Hundreds of NBA players and staff members will be away from the family, isolated for perhaps three months. While understanding the difficulties of others, this remains a difficult request in non-ideal conditions.
“We are all human. We are all part of the families,” said Rob Pelinka, vice president of basketball operations at Los Angles Lakers. “I can’t say it doesn’t affect all of us. I dined at dinner where I will look and my 10 year old daughter has tears in her eyes and I ask her why and she says, ‘Is it because Dad could have been gone for 3 and a half months? Yes, that stuff is part of this. “
Jenna Rosen is a professor of psychiatry at Tulane University and director of mental health and well-being for New Orleans pelicans. He played a significant role during the championship close, meeting the players as a group and individually. Rosen, who also collaborates with the Tulane Institute of Sports Medicine, focusing on emotional well-being, will conduct similar sessions with campus players.
David Griffin, executive vice president of pelicans’ basketball operations, understands the mental commitment and appreciates Rosen’s work.
“We will do it at the center of what we do,” Griffin said. “It will be an integral part of our practice time. Literally every day that we practice in the bubble, we will have mental preparation. We will work through awareness training literally every day, because it is fundamental for our success there.
“Once again, when I said that it will be about who wants to be more, it will be about who can stay in the best frame of mind frankly, to stay in business, not to think about the enormity of what is going on. We will invest a lot of our time and energy on that side of things. “
The Lakers, who are favorites to win the Western Conference, may remain in the controlled environment for three months.
“It will be as much a physical effort as it will be a mental grind,” said Pelinka. “And I think the mental component could also be more important, and so yes, we have worked with people from the mental well-being of the staff here and we have worked with them on developing a protocol to address some of the concerns that are going to come from an extended period. away from your family or an extended period of life in a city that is not your home. “
Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt.
