Athletic Coaches (Head & Assistant)

VOICE UP
SPORTS & MENTAL HEALTH IMPACT INTERNSHIP
Supporting Athlete Wellbeing Through Coaching Practice
INTERNSHIP OVERVIEW
The Voice Up Sports and Mental Health Impact Internship is an applied learning experience exploring the intersection of athletics, coaching, and athlete mental wellbeing.
Athletes today face increasing pressures related to performance expectations, academic demands, injury recovery, and identity development. Coaches play a critical role not only in athletic performance but also in shaping the mental and emotional wellbeing of athletes.
This internship introduces students to evidence-based principles from sports psychology, athlete development research, and mental health awareness in athletics. Participants learn how coaching environments influence athlete wellbeing and how supportive team cultures can strengthen resilience, confidence, and long-term athlete development.
Rather than focusing solely on competition outcomes, this internship emphasizes the role of coaches as leaders who help athletes develop mentally, emotionally, and socially alongside athletic performance.

PROGRAM FOUNDATION
This internship is grounded in research from sports psychology and athlete development. Core topics include:
Athlete mental health and wellbeing
Psychological safety in team environments
The influence of coaching communication and leadership
Burnout, performance pressure, and resilience
Identity development in athletes
Healthy motivational climates in sports
Students examine how athletic environments can either support or undermine athlete wellbeing and explore strategies that promote healthy, sustainable athletic participation.

LEARNING GOALS
By the end of the internship, students will be able to:
Explain key concepts in sports psychology and athlete mental health
Identify how coaching environments influence athlete wellbeing
Recognize early indicators of burnout, stress, and performance anxiety
Distinguish between healthy motivation and harmful pressure
Analyze team culture and coaching communication practices
Apply evidence-based ideas to improve athlete wellbeing in sports environments

INTERNSHIP STRUCTURE
Weeks 1 2: Orientation & Foundations
Students are introduced to research on athlete mental health and sports psychology. Topics include athlete identity development, mental health challenges in sport, and the role of coaches in supporting athlete wellbeing.
Weeks 3 4: Athlete Wellbeing in Practice
Students analyze case studies involving athlete stress, burnout, and resilience. Participants examine coaching practices, team culture, and how leadership styles influence athlete experiences.
Weeks 5 6: Applied Observation
Participants explore real-world examples of coaching environments and athlete development systems. Activities may include reviewing coaching communication approaches and identifying strategies that support psychological safety and healthy motivation.
Weeks 7 8: Capstone Project
Students complete a capstone project applying internship concepts. Example projects include:
A Coach Mental Health Awareness Guide
A Healthy Team Culture Framework
A Youth Sports Wellbeing Toolkit
An Athlete Mental Health Education Resource

KEY DELIVERABLES
Participants will complete:
Athlete Wellbeing Reflection Statement
A short reflection demonstrating understanding of mental health principles in athletics.
Coaching Environment Analysis
An observation or analysis of how coaching practices influence athlete wellbeing.
Capstone Project
A practical resource or framework applying sports mental health concepts.
Professional Learning Summary
A final reflection summarizing insights gained and potential career interests.

INTERNSHIP PRINCIPLES
Students learn that:
Athlete wellbeing supports long-term performance and development
Coaching environments shape athlete mental health outcomes
Psychological safety strengthens team culture
Healthy motivation is essential for sustainable participation in sport
Coaches can play a meaningful role in supporting athlete resilience and wellbeing

CAREER PATHWAYS
This internship supports exploration of careers in:
Sports psychology
Coaching and athletic leadership
Athlete wellbeing and performance support
Sports administration
Youth sports development
Mental health advocacy in athletics

PROGRAM DETAILS
Length: 8 weeks
Format: Remote or hybrid
Industry Focus: Athletics, Coaching, Athlete Wellbeing
Type: Academic or experiential internship
Contact:

A REPORTER AT LARGE

The Long Walk
How one founder’s question on a rainy afternoon became a plan to rebuild the behavioral health workforce from the inside out.

PART ONE: THE METHOD

I.
On a rainy afternoon not long ago, a man took a walk and asked himself a question. The question was not complicated, at least not on its surface. It was the kind of question that a person in his position decades into a career built from almost nothing, presiding over a large and complicated organization, commuting between spreadsheets and human suffering might ask during a rare moment of stillness. How can I help others understand what I know to be true about careers in mental and behavioral health? He walked for a while. Then he went home and started building something.
The man, who goes by Art and who serves as a senior executive at a large behavioral health organization in the American Midwest, had spent his adult life at the intersection of institutions and people who had fallen through them. He had run schools. He had managed state funding formulas worth billions of dollars. He had trained crisis intervention instructors and watched, year after year, as the pipeline of licensed clinical providers narrowed while the need expanded. He was not a researcher, exactly, though he was completing a doctorate. He was not a nonprofit founder, exactly, though he was about to become one. He was, as he would later describe it, someone who had watched a door close on a lot of people and had decided to try to build a different kind of door.