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Family, (Please read the insightful report below from ISSP Coordinator Bukie Aje-Lloyd who came all the way from London to make sure this innovative program went smoothly. 

Thank you to Bukie and sports psychiatrists extraordinaire Dan Begel and Eric Noble for making the program so benefiical)

 

Mental Wellness in Youth Sports Program – Its not Just About The Game!

ICEF Rugby partnered with the International Society for Sports Psychiatry (ISSP) to deliver their Mental Wellness in Youth Sports program (MWYS) to coaches and athletes from January 23 – February 27.

The 4-week program focussed on helping players to build mental skills in key areas to improve their readiness and resilience for competitive sports and to help constructively manage their academic and personal life.

Created by psychiatrists, MWYS is an athlete specific mental health and wellness program designed to support student athletes to manage the unique challenge they face in juggling their personal, academic and sporting life.

 Working directly with psychiatrists, students learned about the importance of mental health in sports, and learned coping and wellbeing skills to help them to achieve and maintain mental wellbeing so they can perform their best on the field, in the classroom and in life.

This program provides a foundation for Coach Krohn and ISSP’s work to leverage the power of sport as a platform to create an athletic culture that supports safety, excellence and wellness in youth rugby. 

This is what our students are saying:

“I learned to love myself and my mistakes as a way to better myself in the game and in life.”

“I really, really, really, enjoyed this program mainly because I want to go into sportsmedicine. Everything I have learned has been beneficial to both my mental andphysical health.”

“This program was very beneficial to me. It showed me a different yet better way to deal with my emotions.”

“The program has taught me more about my teammates and myself. This program has brought me closer to others and created a stronger bond. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to teach us about ourselves!”

 

Please help support these amazing scholar athletes on their tour to Fiji as ambassadors for ICEF and the bigger community. We lead from the front. https://secure.educationalnetworks.net/apps/s/donations/index.jsp?ech=www.icefps.org&h=www.icefps.org 

Just designate rugby in the drop down box, or send a check made out to "ICEF Public Schools", please note "Rugby" in the memo section.

 Address: ICEF PS, Attn: Stuart Krohn, 5120 W. Goldleaf Circle, Suite 350, LA, CA 90056. Your donations make the world better, are tax deductible, and bring good karma.  

Teamwork Makes Dreams Work 

Meet the ISSP Secretary: Claudia Reardon, MD

Dr. Claudia Reardon holds a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and is a Board Certified Psychiatrist specializing in sports psychiatry. She has worked with college and professional athletes and currently works as an Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and at University Health Services in Madison, Wisconsin, treating University of Wisconsin athletes who have a variety of mental health concerns. She is a United States Track and Field (USATF) Certified Official and has particular expertise in treating runners and rowers. Mentoring residents and medical students who are interested in sports psychiatry is one of her passions. 

In addition to her service on the International Society for Sports Psychiatry Board of Directors since 2010, Dr. Reardon also serves as the sole psychiatrist on the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Sports Medicine Advisory Committee. She worked with this organization and with the Wisconsin Medical Society in spearheading passage of Wisconsin youth sports concussion legislation. Additionally, she serves on the World Psychiatric Association’s Section on Exercise, Psychiatry, and Sports.

Dr. Reardon has published and presented widely on a number of sports psychiatry related topics. She is Co-Editor of the 2013 book “Clinical Sports Psychiatry: An International Perspective”. She wrote a detailed review article entitled “Sports psychiatry: a systematic review of diagnosis and medical treatment of mental illness in athletes” in 2010. Other peer-reviewed articles she has recently lead-authored have included: “Drug abuse in athletes” (2014); “Considerations in the use of stimulants in sport” (2016); “The sports psychiatrist and psychiatric medications” (2016); and “Psychiatric medication preferences of sports psychiatrists” (2016).