Interview: Student-Athlete Mental Health Initiative (SAMHI)
Thanks mostly to DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors) and Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers), I've been thinking a lot about athletes' mental health. I want to say more about DeRozan and Love's public sharing of their vulnerabilities, about responses to their sharing, and about mental health in the NBA more generally. But before I get there, I want to spend a little time addressing mental health in the world of student athletes.
Earlier this year, when I had the pleasure of speaking with McMaster University's Director of Athletics and Recreation, Glen Grunwald, I learned of an organization focused on the mental wellness of student-athletes in Canada: SAMHI, the Student-Athlete Mental Health Initiative. At the time, Grunwald's reference to SAMHI was one detail in a broader story about the student-athlete experience. But after DeRozan and Love sparked conversations about depression, anxiety and such in the NBA world, I thought again of SAMHI and realized I wanted to learn more.
To that end, I produced another interview segment for CFMU 93.3 FM's Maurader Morning program, this time featuring my conversation with the president and co-founder of SAMHI, the Student-Athlete Mental Health Initiative, Samantha DeLenardo.
DeLenardo was a student-athlete. As a graduate student she studied student-athlete mental health, not just to learn more but also to develop strategies for helping student-athletes who struggle with mental health issues. And that is why SAMHI exists.
I found my conversation with DeLenardo inspiring. I hope you do too.
Interview with Samantha DeLenardo, Co-founder and President of SAMHI - the Student-Athlete Mental Health Initiative
Interview notes
00:00:00 - introduction
00:01:06 - interview begins
00:01:50 - the origins of SAMHI
00:05:03 - what SAMHI does: Campus Team Program, Blog, Suicide-Prevention Training
00:09:05 - SAMHI logo and the Huddle Framework
00:12:02 - mental health in a team environment
00: 15:06 - mental toughness
00:18:04 - impact of pro athletes and peers speaking out
00:20:29 - the role of gender in student-athletes' mental health
00:22:37 - how people can help or get involved
00:25:05 - SAMHI's videos
00:26:36 - wrap-up
Originally recorded for CFMU 93.3 FM, cfmu.ca.
SAMHI website: www.samhi.ca
SAMHI blog, The Huddle: www.samhi.ca/the-huddle