Mental Health Awareness Week (13th-19th May) opens up conversations about mental health.
The PSA Foundation provides a health and wellness programme which brings together players to tackle the well-being challenges on Tour.
Professional sport presents unique pressures for athletes and the aim for this programme is the players will spearhead a Tour wide effort to share struggles, advice, experiences and support each other.
This initiative is designed to provide an ongoing process of safeguarding the health and wellbeing of players on Tour.
At the PSA Foundation, we believe that there are no better people to help inform on the challenges of competing on Tour than the players themselves and the health and wellness programme is testament to that.
The programme is formed of 13 players who are be ambassadors from different tiers of the PSA Tour.
World Number 53 Todd Harrity is also an ambassador: we speak to him about his involvement in the group and the importance of the role
“I think having mental health support for, squash players is extremely important. Mental health is crucial for athletes, it affects our physical health and helps us perform at our best.”
“I think also, athletes don’t always know where to go to get help or where to turn, or they’re afraid to admit that they may need help. So I think the awareness, knowing where to go to and having a support system for mental health issues is very important.
I think these days the stigma has changed and I think a lot of people take mental health more seriously than they ever did before. Many years ago it was very uncommon to see a therapist. These days, many people have them.
A lot of players on tour work with them and it’s nothing to be ashamed of.
I think it’s fantastic that the PSA Foundation provides, mental health support for athletes, free counseling [through Sporting Chance] it’s very unusual but amazing that a sports organisation to provide that and they provide it from anywhere in the world.
I think it’s an amazing resource and really players should be utilising that because it’s really crucial and an amazing.”
