Western Carolina University Well-Being and Mental Health Resources
Western Carolina believes in creating a welcoming environment for student-athletes that promotes well-being. To do so, WCU has partnered with individuals and offices on campus to provide resources in addition to those provided through the Athletic Department. Below is a listing of resources available to Western Carolina student-athletes.
Mental Health
Western Carolina's Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is the campus resource for student mental health and counseling. Student-athletes are encourage to engage with CAPS throughout their time on campus. CAPS has partnered with the Athletic Department for several years to provide services to student-athletes in need.
Why students come to CAPS:
» Anxiety and depression which includes symptoms of suicidality, loneliness, and low sef-esteem
» Grief
» Relationship concerns which could include friends, roommates, romantic partners, and family
» Concerns related to experiences of trauma, sexual assault, or abuse
» Identity concerns (that is, figuring out who they are outside of sport or once they're done competing
» Self Esteem, body image problems, and/or eating concerns
» Beginning or maintaining recovery from addictive substances or behaviors
» Managing expectations/performance and Perfectionism (whether it be in the classroom, at home, on stage, on the field, etc.)
» Sleep
» Motivation
All of these concerns can translate to and affect sport performance. While these are the primary reasons that students seek counseling, please know that any concern or struggle you have can be addressed in counseling.
Should a student-athlete experience anxiety during sport (e.g. fear of failure, perfectionism) or struggle to manage the stress of performing athletically, CAPS can assist through counseling. Further, some members of the CAPS staff are former collegiate student-athletes and can relate to current student-athletes through the uniqueness of their shared experiences.
To Make an Appointment:
Call CAPS at (828) 227-7469 during normal business hours (Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm). If a phone call feels overwhelming, students are welcome to walk right in and can be scheduled for an immediate emergent appointment or can schedule for a future date (at their discretion).
For Crisis Care:
• Call or walk-in to the office (225 Bird Building), Monday - Friday, 8 am to 5 pm: (828) 227-7469
• After hours and weekend: (828) 227-7469 and follow the prompts
Case Managers
Western Carolina University employs two case managers who have direct relationships with the Athletics Department and Catamount student-athletes.
Kyla Allison, a former WCU women’s basketball student-athlete, is the case manager for CAPS. Kyla is available to all student-athletes as a first contact for connecting with available resources, especially through CAPS.
Brian Boyer is a case manager with Residential Living. Brian has been with WCU for many years and has a deep understanding of life on campus. He is trained in providing resilience training and can be a contact for students in need of help in several areas of their life (e.g. housing/food needs and issues, relationships with professors, mental health, etc.).
Student-Athlete Well-Being Committee
In the spring of 2021, the WCU Athletic Department initiated the Student-Athlete Well-Being Committee. The committee membership consists of student-athletes, the Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR) and professional staff from within athletics (e.g. sports medicine, academic support, strength and conditioning, etc.).
The purpose of the committee is to consistently monitor issues that impact the lives of student-athletes at WCU and bring awareness to mental health within the department. As an example, the committee was central to bringing
Hilinski’s Hope to campus to present to the student-athletes.
To contact Western Carolina's Student-Athlete Well-Being Committee, reach out to committee co-chairs,
Kyle Pifer or
Ashleigh Simmons.
