Last Updated on November 18, 2020 by
The Michigan Daily wrote a story about Athletes Connected & ACT supporting athletes during the pandemic.
By Jacob Cohen
March 12 — the day that the NCAA cancelled spring sports — was a sad day for many in Michigan athletics.
Amid the chaos of a world entering quarantine, student-athletes, teams and coaches all felt the specific pain of a sports world grinding to a halt.
We wrote articles specific to navigating the new normal of the pandemic, to creating a learning environment in this new kind of remote learning situation that most people were familiar with and an athlete guide to coping with COVID-19
Student-athletes found themselves without their sports and without their teammates, a foreign position that was as isolating as it was uncertain, leaving many with the need for new sorts of mental health and wellness support.
Athletics Counseling and Athletes Connected — a program run by Michigan athletics, Michigan School of Social Work and the Michigan Depression Center — began trying to fill that void. Athletes Connected has been working to decrease the stigma around mental health and provide mental health resources to Michigan student-athletes since 2014, but its name has become increasingly fitting since March 12 — a time in which Athletes Connected took on the challenge of keeping the community united during a time of great separation.
“We wrote articles specific to navigating the new normal of the pandemic, to creating a learning environment in this new kind of remote learning situation that most people were familiar with and an athlete guide to coping with COVID-19,” Rachel Amity, Athletes Connected program coordinator said.
With this shift to pandemic care came the expected shift to fully-virtual services, but Athletes Connected was ready. Student-athletes already have jam-packed schedules, juggling class, homework and practice. With this in mind, Athletes Connected has favored asynchronous content in the past, using short videos and written material.
Read the rest of the story on michigandaily.com.