Certificate in Sport Social Work | Combined Lifespan Track
Summary
Understanding and supporting athletes and their overall health and welfare has been a prominent specialty service area that social workers have formally and informally navigated for decades. And today, the need for sports social workers with advanced training has never been more requested across sport settings (youth, collegiate, professional, and geriatric). Research currently suggests that: (1) athletes engage in sport across the lifespan to foster a greater sense of belonging and social connection; (2) athlete mental health needs are increasing and licensed, mental health providers are needed to meet this growing demand; and (3) athletes are using their platform to address social injustices and bring awareness to longstanding disparities across our country. As established agents of change, social workers uphold the profession's mission and core values, while having an expansive scope of practice to improve outcomes for individuals, communities, and the larger society.
In addition to the live schedule, program includes 30 hours of recorded lectures:
- Overview: History of Sport Social Work
- Impact of Current Culture on Adolescent Mental Health
- Adjustment/Transition into College Athletics
- Integrated Health in Sports Settings
- Adolescent Mental Health & Wellness
- Sports & Body Image: Identifying Risks and Recommendations for Clinical Intervention
- Subclinical Eating Disorders
- Body Image and Perfectionism
- Grief and Loss Support
- Psychopharmacology and Navigating USADA & WADA, Drug Testing
- Multidisciplinary Eating Disorders Team
- Impact of Sport Specialization on Development and Injury
- Parent-Coach-Player Dynamics
- Safe Sport
- Conflict Resolution and Mediation
- Bullying and Harassment Prevention
- Understanding Racial Diversity and Social Justice in Sports
- Team Building and Leadership Development
- Injury: Loss of Identity
- Ensuring Healthy Development for Youth through Sport and Recreation
- Behavior Activation
- Intro to Sport Psychology
- Sport Psychology: Basic Skills, Preparatory Skills, Performance Skills
- ADHD vs. Anxiety: Neuropsychology and Attentional Interference in Athletics
- Sleep and Sport
- Differences Between Coaching and Support
- Performance Anxiety
- LGBTQ+ Inclusivity in Sports
- Athletes Connected: Developing Community-Based Programming
- Everybody Gets an Opportunity: Ability
- Critical Research Perspectives for Contemporary Sport Culture
- Post Concussion Care
- Transitioning Out of Sport
- Sports in Older Adults: Once an Athlete, Always an Athlete
- Navigating the Media's Response to an Athlete's Game
- Macro Social Work Practice in Collegiate Sport
In addition to the live schedule, program includes 30 hours of recorded lectures:
- Overview: History of Sport Social Work
- Impact of Current Culture on Adolescent Mental Health
- Adjustment/Transition into College Athletics
- Integrated Health in Sports Settings
- Adolescent Mental Health & Wellness
- Sports & Body Image: Identifying Risks and Recommendations for Clinical Intervention
- Subclinical Eating Disorders
- Body Image and Perfectionism
- Grief and Loss Support
- Psychopharmacology and Navigating USADA & WADA, Drug Testing
- Multidisciplinary Eating Disorders Team
- Impact of Sport Specialization on Development and Injury
- Parent-Coach-Player Dynamics
- Safe Sport
- Conflict Resolution and Mediation
- Bullying and Harassment Prevention
- Understanding Racial Diversity and Social Justice in Sports
- Team Building and Leadership Development
- Injury: Loss of Identity
- Ensuring Healthy Development for Youth through Sport and Recreation
- Behavior Activation
- Intro to Sport Psychology
- Sport Psychology: Basic Skills, Preparatory Skills, Performance Skills
- ADHD vs. Anxiety: Neuropsychology and Attentional Interference in Athletics
- Sleep and Sport
- Differences Between Coaching and Support
- Performance Anxiety
- LGBTQ+ Inclusivity in Sports
- Athletes Connected: Developing Community-Based Programming
- Everybody Gets an Opportunity: Ability
- Critical Research Perspectives for Contemporary Sport Culture
- Post Concussion Care
- Transitioning Out of Sport
- Sports in Older Adults: Once an Athlete, Always an Athlete
- Navigating the Media's Response to an Athlete's Game
- Macro Social Work Practice in Collegiate Sport
- Apply theories of identity development, resources, and treatment options to assist with transition management and adjustment disorders.
- Associate physiological and psychological aspects of sports performance.
- Complete a biopsychosocial history using the Bronfenbrenner's ecological model from an athletic perspective.
- Define next steps in sport social work and the emerging need in the sport industry.
- Describe a framework for eliminating self-defeating attitudes.
- Describe considerations for building an integrated health team to effectively address an athlete’s medical needs.
- Describe current mental health programs and their missions and structures.
- Describe effective communication and conflict resolution strategies for managing relationships among parents, coaches, and young athletes.
- Describe how a sports medicine team works closely together to improve student-athlete outcomes.
- Describe how aging impacts older adults’ experience of being a sports participant or fan.
- Describe how social media impacts youth social, emotional, and developmental interaction with the world around them.
- Describe how to use behavior activation to improve an athlete's outcomes.
- Describe pathways to leadership in sport for social workers.
- Describe positive and negative mental and physical impacts of sport on youth, and the effect coaches have on youth athlete development in and out of sport.
- Describe strategies for helping athletes navigate developmental changes from adolescence to adulthood.
- Describe strategies to identify and address eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors across the spectrum of care.
- Describe the benefits of experiential learning opportunities within sport.
- Describe the impact of community/teams on inclusion of LGBTQ+ athletes.
- Describe the impact of concussion management on athletes, coaches, team, and other support staff.
- Describe the process to report abuse through the identified national organization for minor athletes.
- Describe the relationships between ADHD and student-athlete functioning
- Describe the role of sport psychologists and identify common issues sport psychologists help athletes address.
- Describe the unique mental health and performance needs of LGBTQ+ athletes.
- Describe three strategies for recognizing and responding to bullying and harassment.
- Describe three strategies to help parents and athletes in finding balance outside of sport culture.
- Describe three ways that athletes are impacted by early sport specialization
- Describe three ways to effectively increase team cohesion, peer relationships, and understanding of individual differences in order to produce results and a healthy environment.
- Describe two different types of athlete mentalities as it relates to identity and how to improve outcomes for each type of athlete
- Describe ways in which the role of coaching and support systems can work together to produce improved outcomes.
- Distinguish between a performance and mental health intake and what is important to capture when working with athletes on performance enhancement.
- Evaluate an athlete's transition out of sport, considering the impact on identity, and stages of grief and loss.
- Identify considerations for responding to the demand and need for clinical services after implementing outreach and education programs.
- Identify major historical steps in the development of sport social work.
- Identify resources to help athletes mitigate risk around banned substances
- Identify risk factors and assess for potential disordered eating in athletes, encouraging athletes to get help proactively.
- Identify subclinical factors for eating disorders and disordered eating in athletes.
- Identify the diagnostic criteria, symptoms, and course of treatment for insomnia/delayed sleep-wake disorders.
- Identify three essential skills to why coaches are a key part to student athlete outcomes.
- Identify three interventions that can reconnect older adults with involvement in sports.
- Identify three key understandings in working with athletes of different abilities and how to effectively build trust and enhance support within these populations.
- Identify three ways to support and enhance skills to work with adolescents and youth experiencing grief and loss in their lives.
- Identify ways that mental health manifests in athletes differently from the non-athlete population.
- Implement best practice mental health crisis intervention assessment and intervention models within an organization.
- Name two instrumental social justice moments in sport that contributed to global changes.
- Name two instrumental social justice moments in sport that impacted youth involved in sports.
- Outline best practices on working in multidisciplinary eating disorder teams.
- Outline drug testing protocols and banned substances.
- Outline gaps in sport social work research and growth trends for the field.
- Outline three different phases of mental skills training.
- Use culturally-responsive language and engagement strategies for addressing body image and perfectionism in sport.
Agenda
| Date | Time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| August 8, 2024 | 4:00pm - 5:00pm | Future of Sports Social Work |
| June 17, 2025 | 3:00pm - 4:00pm | Intro to the Sports Social Work Certificate Program |
| June 17, 2025 | 4:00pm - 5:00pm | Understanding Athlete Health Needs |
| June 24, 2025 | 3:00pm - 5:00pm | Treatment Needs: Managing Mental Health Crises with Athletes |
| July 8, 2025 | 3:00pm - 5:00pm | Alcohol and Athletics: Two Things that Do Not Mix |
| July 15, 2025 | 3:00pm - 4:00pm | Self Defeating Attitudes and Behaviors |
| July 15, 2025 | 4:00pm - 5:00pm | Developing Healthy Relationships |
| July 22, 2025 | 3:00pm - 4:00pm | Lessons Learned from a Interprofessional Team in Sports Medicine |
| July 22, 2025 | 4:00pm - 5:00pm | Working in Collaboration with Coaches |
| July 29, 2025 | 3:00pm - 4:00pm | Importance of Internships and Fellowships within Sport |
| July 29, 2025 | 4:00pm - 5:00pm | Future of Sports Social Work |
Instructor
Abigail H. Eilerhybrid certificate program
Sessions
- 6/17/2025 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
- 6/24/2025 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
- 7/8/2025 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
- 7/15/2025 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
- 7/22/2025 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
- 7/29/2025 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
CE Contact Hours
- 30 regular asynchronous online
- 12 regular live interactive online
Location
online
