Coutts interviewed about mental health resources for UMaine student-athletes
New England Psychologist carried a story about UMaine using one-time NCAA funds to launch a new program focused on mental health resources for student-athletes. According to Lynn Coutts, senior associate director of athletics, the impetus for the program came from student-athletes. Coutts said student-athletes indicated that sometimes they aren’t comfortable talking to coaches about personal issues. Until now, if a student-athlete was struggling with anxiety or had another mental health concern, he or she would be sent to the school’s counseling center. The new program will specifically be for the athletic department and under the sports medicine umbrella and will offer a collaborative unit of care with mental health professionals on the team.