University of Kentucky: Connecting and Networking for Suicide Prevention (UK:CAN) presents a virtual discussion on mental health and student-athletes with Shannon Decker executive director of The Speedy Foundation and Bianca McCall, retired professional basketball player and clinical therapist. The Speedy Foundation was founded in memory of Shannon’s cousin, 3-time Olympian and Olympic silver medalist, Jeret "Speedy" Peterson, who died by suicide.
Dr. Julie Cerel, director of the University of Kentucky Suicide Prevention and Exposure lab in the College of Social Work will be hosting the discussion. This 40-minute conversation will explore the mental health challenges faced by college students and student-athletes—past, present, and future—while highlighting the power of peer support for youth in crisis. A 20-minute Q&A with Shannon and Bianca will follow, offering an opportunity for deeper discussion.
UK: CAN-HELP Crisis Training - All invitees will receive access to the UK: CAN-HELP Crisis Training, developed at University of Kentucky as part of the campus suicide prevention grant that is also funding this training. UK: CAN-HELP gives specific ways to help peers at UK and is less than an hour of asynchronous training that can be done in short segments. Please keep an eye on your inbox for the invitation to access the UK: CAN-HELP Training. We encourage everyone to complete it prior to 2/26.
___________
Technology Format: The first 40 minutes of this event will be in a webinar format with attendees able to submit questions and chat but audience video and audio will be disabled. The final 20 minutes will automatically transition into a Zoom meeting platform where attendees will be able join with video and audio capabilities to facilitate a more robust discussion.
_____________
Below are the links shared during our discussion:
Jeret “Speedy” Peterson - • Jeret 'Speedy' Peterson, U.S. Ski Team
The Speedy Foundation - https://www.thespeedyfoundation.org/
USOPC Mental Health Task Force - https://www.usopc.org/mental-health
NCAA - Mental Health Resources - https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2016/8/4/...
IOC Toolkit - https://www.olympics.com/athlete365/a...
Jeremy Bloom - BLOOM v. NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (2004) - https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/co-...
Weight of Gold clip, film available on HBO - • Jeremy Bloom Clip - Weight of Gold
Athlete’s Entourage - https://img.olympics.com/images/image...
UK: CAN-HELP Crisis Training - Dr. Cerel to share access
Consensus statement on improving the mental health of high performance athletes -https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/...
Weight of Gold Infographic - https://www.canva.com/design/DAECpLPG...
Also feel free to reach out to Dr. Cerel with any questions - Julie.cerel@uky.edu