Category Archives: Updates from the Team

Meet the Team: Staff Favorites

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Athletes Connected is a partnership between the U-M Athletics Department, the School of Social Work, and the Eisenberg Family Depression Center. Some of our staff have taken the time to (re)introduce themselves and share some things that are important to them in this Meet the Team series, originally featured on Twitter (@Aths_Connected).

Rachel’s Favorite Calm App Activities
  1. Deep Sleep meditation
  2. Dream With Me, sleep story with Harry Styles
  3. The Confidence Series: Before a Performance – You’ve Got This
  4. Emergency Calm
  5. Peak Performance Masterclass with Jason Kidd

Remember, the Calm App is free for all Big Ten athletes! Reach out directly to Rachel or to the Athletic Counseling Team for information on how to get access.

Rachel Amity, LMSW

Will’s Favorite Journal Prompts
  1. What are you feeling in this moment in your body?
  2. What thoughts are currently on your mind?
  3. Where all did you go today, in chronological order
  4. Name someone/something that made you smile recently. Describe what happened and how you felt.
  5. Worries Out! Make a list of your worry thoughts, and only your worry thoughts. Get as many out as you can. Off the mind, onto paper.
  6. List 1-3 things you’re feeling grateful for, and why.

Will Heininger

 

 

 

 

Eliza’s Ways to Shake Up Her Routine

Eamon’s Favorite Self-Care Activities
  1. Grabbing the binoculars and hitting the trail for some birding
  2. Building Lego
  3. Watching movies, preferably ones I haven’t seen before
  4. Drawing/painting while listening to music
  5. Watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy with my family every weeknight

Eamon Horwedel, MSW Intern

Tachi’s Ways to Set the Tone for the Day
  1. I like to wake up before my family so I can sneak in some quiet time before the madness of the day starts
  2. I put on a weighted vest and walk my dog first thing in the morning to get my blood flowing. I pop in my AirPods and listen to a guided mindfulness practice. Right now, I am doing a 30-day Mindfulness Challenge on the Declutter Your Mind app. 
  3. I make coffee and add something to my gratitude list. I make sure this is the first thing I do before looking at my phone!
  4. I write a few things down in my journal. Sometimes, it’s daily or weekly goals. Other times, I write about things that are on my mind. 
  5. Lastly, I get my 3 year old monster (my son named Jozeya) up and ready for the day! 

Tachi Ribeiro, MSW Intern

 

 

 

 

Stephanie’s Ways to Embrace Winter Activity

Lizelle’s Favorite Self-Care Activities
  1. Treat myself to a new Trader Joe’s snack
  2. Call a close friend I haven’t talked to in a while
  3. Rewatch a favorite TV series under a heated blanket
  4. Go to sleep without doom scrolling
  5. Take group fitness classes like barre and yoga

Lizelle Salazar, MPH

 

 

 

 

Couper’s Ways to Practice Good Sleep Hygiene
  1. Make a warm cup of peppermint tea in my favorite mug 
  2. Light a candle, turn on my lamp, and listen to calming music (specifically Calm App’s Post Malone Sleep Remix or any Sleep Remix)
  3. Turn off my phone and all technology to give myself some blue-light-free space to unwind from my day 
  4. In my journal, write 3-5 things I am grateful for, what I am proud of myself for from the day, and something that I am letting go of from today to make tomorrow even better 
  5. Read my book with a fuzzy blanket until I am ready to drift to sleep

Couper Tanko, MSW Intern

 

 

 

 

Natalie’s Favorite Self-Care Activities

Athletes Connected Unveils College Athlete Program Manual

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By Jeremy Fallis, U-M Depression Center Marketing Communications Specialist

To address the growing concern for college athlete mental health, requests by other institutions, and to promote general well-being, the University of Michigan’s Athletes Connected program has created a first-of-its-kind manual to aid in this quest. The College Athlete Mental Health Program Manual, unveiled Tuesday, Dec. 8, is a roadmap to create programming and assist college athletes.

The manual is available as a PDF download or in a web-friendly dynamic view.

The concept for a manual stemmed from a bevy of inquiries about the creation of Athletes Connected, its functions and successes. The program, collaborative in structure, teamed up to disseminate how to make it work at your college or university.

The 15-page document was written and edited by members of the U-M Depression Center and Athletic Department. In it, background on the program’s formation, roles, action items and much more are explained in great detail.

A set of best practices, lessons learned and key questions are answered to guide the next athlete mental health programs. The manual is free to use by others. Even the survey measures can be utilized by outside institutions provided they attribute the University of Michigan’s Athletes Connected program as original creator.

Have questions? Members of the Athletes Connected program can be contacted by email.

About Athletes Connected
Formed in 2014 on an NCAA pilot grant, Athletes Connected is a collaborative program by the University of Michigan’s Athletic Department, Depression Center and School of Social Work that actively works to provide student-athletes with the tools and resources possible to support student-athletes along the continuum of well-being. Athletes Connected does this by promoting awareness of mental health issues, reducing the stigma of help-seeking and promoting positive coping skills among student-athletes. To learn more about the program, view the entire catalog of videos, read original stories and access helpful resources for student-athletes and non-athletes alike.

Athletes Connected Newsletter
Our program produces a quarterly newsletter, the next one will be delivered this week! Be sure to subscribe to future emails.

Athletes Connected Welcomes U-M School of Social Work

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By Jeremy Fallis, Marketing Communications Specialist, U-M Depression Center

The Athletes Connected program is proud to announce new collaborative partner, the University of Michigan School of Social Work. Athletes Connected continues to be supported by the U-M Athletic Department, the U-M Depression Center.

As part of the new partnership, the research component of Athletes Connected will be conducted out of the School of Social Work. Leading that charge will be Abigail Eiler, LMSW, QMHP, clinical assistant professor and the director of the U-M Athletics Counseling Team.

Athletes Connected thanks its past research partner, the U-M School of Public Health, for its committed work in athlete mental health.

Moreover, as announced in the Summer 2020 newsletter, the program wishes Dr. Daniel Eisenberg and his family well at UCLA. Dr. Eisenberg has served as faculty Principal Investigator leading the scientific evaluation of the program’s effectiveness. Dr. Eisenberg was the Co-Principal Investigator when Athletes Connected was established by pilot funding from an NCAA Innovations in Research and Practice Grant in 2014.

U-M to Host #SameHere Sit-Downs Oct. 2

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Our university is honored to have been chosen to be one of 15 universities from all over the country to host a #SameHere Sit-Down, produced by The Global Mental Health Alliance: We’re All A Little “Crazy.”

Athletes Connected will host the #SameHere Sit-Down event on Tuesday, Oct. 2 (7 p.m.) at Junge Family Champions Center. Parking is available in Lot SC5 off Kipke Drive.

Our free event will feature opportunities for candid and revealing conversations with NBA veteran and champion Derek Anderson, singer/songwriter Luke James Shaffer, and founder of the WAALC and #SameHere Movement Eric Kussin. The event will be emceed by ESPN’s Darren Rovell. This will be a combination of that conversation, and live musical entertainment. You will hear firsthand from the individuals above about the mental and emotional challenges they have encountered in their pursuit of excellence, along with a range of coping strategies they have developed in response.

This openness will be delivered through individual story-telling, panel discussion, and open dialogue between you and these special guests. The result will be a shift in culture that creates a “comforting environment” on campus where it is readily apparent that everyone faces life challenges, and asking for help, getting that help, and finding success is not only possible, but seen as a sign of strength.

No pre-registration required; email us if you have questions.

Stephanie Salazar Earns Inaugural Impact Award

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Stephanie Salazar (second from the right), was presented with one of four supervisor award honors.

The University of Michigan presented the inaugural University of Michigan Staff Impact Awards on Monday, May 21. Athletes Connected’s Stephanie Salazar, program manager for the U-M Depression Center, was one of four supervisor award recipients.

“The amazing dedication, effort and talent of our staff is absolutely critical for us to meet our missions of education and care,” said Kevin Hegarty, executive vice president and chief financial officer at U-M, addressing the award recipients. “Which is why I am so passionate about honoring and celebrating your truly transformative service with these awards. I am truly in awe of your efforts and the work we all do as a staff community.”

From the formal press release:

The Staff Impact Awards celebrate those who champion volunteerism and service within the university, and who find ways to collaborate across units and find solutions to make the workplace better for all. The award recognizes staff, supervisors and teams that make an impact with their work, locally and beyond.

The awards were developed from recommendations of a Voices of the Staff committee and are sponsored by the Office of the Chief Financial Officer in partnership with University Human Resources.