Written by W. Logan Kreisl
The Hidden Strain on Student-Athletes
High school student-athletes face a perfect storm of pressure: academic expectations, competitive performance, and the pursuit of scholarships or professional dreams. In fact, 91% of student-athletes report feelings of stress related to their sport (Ward et al., 2023). While collegiate programs have integrated mental-health services and sport psychology into their athletic frameworks, high schools remain years behind. Many teenage athletes lack structured psychological support systems or resources that could prevent anxiety, burnout, and depression from spiraling. Bringing proven collegiate mental health interventions, such as mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) and psychological skills training (PST), into secondary settings could be transformative.
Why Collegiate Models Work
Over the last decade, college athletic programs have adopted a holistic performance model, prioritizing mental resilience alongside physical conditioning. Interventions like mindfulness workshops, resilience training, and individualized therapy have yielded measurable improvements in performance and well-being (Koogler & Smith, 2023).
Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) reduced competitive anxiety by 32% and improved sleep quality by 21% among Division I athletes (Fronso & Budnik-Przybylska, 2023). Furthermore, resilience training, such as the Optimism Training for Athletes (OTA) program, helped athletes reframe setbacks as opportunities, lowering burnout and dropout rates (Sehrawat et al., 2024). Individualized therapy also led to a 28% higher retention rate among college athletes than peers without access to mental-health support (Hong et al., 2018). These results prove that mental conditioning is as critical as physical training for sustained success.
Where High Schools Fall Short
Despite rising awareness, most high-school athletic programs lack formalized mental-health frameworks. Coaches, the mentors who spend the most time with athletes, often have no formal training in mental-health literacy or psychological first aid (Powers et al., 2020). Stigma remains a major obstacle: only 26% of high school athletes feel comfortable seeking professional help, fearing loss of playing time or peer respect (Darghali, 2024). Additionally, a lack of access to sport psychologists or early screening measures means warning signs often go undetected, leading to chronic stress, burnout, and higher injury risk (Purcell et al., 2019).
Adapting College Interventions for High Schools
Integrating collegiate-style mental-health systems at the high-school level requires creativity, not an overhaul. A review of eight empirical studies highlights three scalable and effective components:
- Short, structured sessions – Weekly 45–50 minute workshops on stress management, mindfulness, and goal-setting improved focus and performance (Thuot & Monroe, 1995).
- Qualified facilitators – Programs led by licensed clinicians produced higher retention and greater psychological benefits than those run by untrained staff (Kumari & Kumar, 2016).
- Peer mentorship – Collegiate programs like Morgan’s Message demonstrate how student-led advocacy can reduce stigma and foster team-based mental-health networks.
Embedding these practices into team meetings or physical-education periods can make resilience training a natural part of athletic life.
Practical Integration: How Schools Can Begin
- Add mindfulness and resilience routines to practices or PE classes: five minutes of breathing or visualization can improve emotional regulation (Fronso & Budnik-Przybylska, 2023).
- Train coaches through short, evidence-based workshops adapted from collegiate programs (Powers et al., 2020).
- Implement pre-season screening for stress and anxiety to identify early risk factors (Hong et al., 2018).
- Build peer-led advocacy teams, modeled after initiatives like Morgan’s Message, to normalize open discussion about mental health.
Each of these steps helps establish a culture where mental wellness is seen as a component of athletic excellence.
A Call to Action
Mental health is performance health. By adapting proven collegiate frameworks, high schools can give athletes lifelong tools to manage pressure, stay focused, and recover from setbacks. It’s time for educators, coaches, and policymakers to make mental health a standard part of athletic development. The playbook already exists. Now it’s time to bring it to the high school level.