Certificate in Sport Social Work | Youth Recreation & Club Sport 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.
Sport social workers play a crucial role in the holistic development of youth athletes. These dedicated professionals provide a supportive and empathetic environment for young athletes, helping them navigate the challenges that come with intense training, competition, and personal growth. Sport social workers collaborate with athletes, coaches, and families to address the unique psychological aspects of sports participation, fostering resilience, coping skills, and emotional well-being. They work to create a safe space where youth athletes can openly discuss their concerns, pressures, and aspirations. Participants will learn:
- Ethical and logistical needs in working with youth and adolescent populations; enhanced understanding of the Safe Sport program, how to address bullying and harassment, as well as current adolescent culture of the impact social media has on our youth in sports.
- Promote healthy relationships between caregivers, coaches and athletes through enhanced communication, problem solving, and conflict management.
- Encourage help-seeking behaviors for both mental health needs and mental performance needs that are different from collegiate, professional and adult athletes.
- Establish and implement strategies for mental health programming that aligns with the mission and structure of an organization, keeping in mind DEI and LGBTQ+ needs.
- Continued knowledge and education on how eating disorders, substance use, and grief are unique to athlete populations, increasing awareness in signs and symptoms among youth athletes.
In addition to the live schedule, program includes 26 hours of recorded lectures:
- Overview: History of Sport Social Work
- Impact of Current Culture on Adolescent Mental Health
- 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
- 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
- Navigating the Media's Response to an Athlete's Game
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 how to use behavior activation to improve an athlete's outcomes.
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 social media impacts youth social, emotional, and developmental interaction with the world around them.
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 the benefits of experiential learning opportunities within 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 role of sport psychologists and identify common issues sport psychologists help athletes address.
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
Distinguish between a performance and mental health intake and what is important to capture when working with athletes on performance enhancement.
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 ways in which the role of coaching and support systems can work together to produce improved outcomes.
Identify major historical steps in the development of sport social work.
Identify considerations for responding to the demand and need for clinical services after implementing outreach and education programs.
Identify the diagnostic criteria, symptoms, and course of treatment for insomnia/delayed sleep-wake disorders.
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 three essential skills to why coaches are a key part to student athlete outcomes.
Implement best practice mental health crisis intervention assessment and intervention models within an organization.
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.
Name two instrumental social justice moments in sport that contributed to global changes.
Describe two different types of athlete mentalities as it relates to identity and how to improve outcomes for each type of athlete
Name two instrumental social justice moments in sport that impacted youth involved in sports.
Differentiate between adolescent athletes' and adult athletes' mental health needs.
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
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