Five out of five people have a brain. Therefore, every person who steps onto Pitt’s campus– athlete or not– has mental health. We believe that mental health is health. Just like you might report a tweaked ankle to an athletic trainer, or talk with a friend about something that’s bothering you, we are a professionally trained staff who are here to provide you with validation, knowledge, and concrete skills to recognize and enhance your mental health in order to optimize your experience as a college student, student-athlete, and human. We strive to approach our work with each student-athlete holistically, recognizing the complexities that you bring-- including but certainly not limited to socio-economic status, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity, health and ability status, age, scholarship status and religion/spirituality.
OUR MISSION
Our office provides therapeutic support, treatment, and case management for all currently active, registered student-athletes on an ongoing basis, with no limit to the number of sessions per year, and free of charge. We strive to help student-athletes meet their goals, and to uphold the highest ethical practices. Come visit us! We are located on the Event Level of the Petersen Events Center, and look forward to meeting you.
The services we provide are specifically tailored to Pitt student-athletes and are ever-changing as we aim to reflect the needs and demographics of our city, campus, and athletic department communities.
Individual sessions (includes phone coaching) - we offer individual sessions in our offices, or virtually when/where necessary, to all current student-athletes
Crisis services – we provide crisis support for student-athletes who are experiencing distress themselves, or who are concerned about a teammate who may be in distress
Neuropsychological testing (in conjunction with Academics) - we work with Academic Staff to support student-athletes who may need additional testing for ADD, ADHD, and Learning Disabilities
Team interactions – we participate in pre-season meetings with compliance, nutrition, etc. As well as education on sleep, food, relationships, and team dynamics, among other topics
Coordination of care and referrals – we work with each student-athlete seeking treatment to determine the best “fit” for them and their treatment needs on an ongoing basis
Collaboration with Psychiatric Hospital services and providers – as employees of Western Psychiatric Hospital, we have access to a concierge psychiatrist, 40+ outpatient programs, inpatient programs, and a psychiatric emergency department (all within walking distance of our office)
Administrator and staff consult - Like coach consults, we can provide general mental health education and topic-specific Attendance at Team Physician Clinic Hours
Coach consult – As requested, we work with coaches to provide general information about mental health topics and how to support student-athlete wellness
Diversity and Inclusion Committee
Eating Disorder Treatment Team
Medication Management
Mental Health Task Force
Parent consult – As requested by the student-athlete, we can connect with parents to communicate about a specific treatment plan and answer general questions about our department
Pre-Participation Evaluation Screenings
Pitt Script for Life committee
SAAC guest speakers
Substance Abuse Treatment Team
Informal partnerships with Compliance, Financial Aid, Life Skills, and Nutrition – We strive to work with a variety of other departments and offices to meet the needs of our student-athletes, including addressing food scarcity, funding concerns, transfer questions, and professional development inquiries.