Important insuring that the environment for athletes is healthy and welcoming

Jessica Bartley, the senior director of psychological services at the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, recently visited RU as a guest professor within the sports science department.

I have spent two days with students studying sport psychology. They have asked good questions and have been really welcoming. The first day was dedicated to eating disorders with athletes, which is one of my specialities, covering how you identify them and how you treat athletes with eating disorders.

Says Bartley, who focuses on integrating mental health care with performance psychology, helping athletes manage stress, build resilience, optimise focus, and maintain overall well-being while competing at the highest level of international sport.

We're part of a much larger, interdisciplinary team where anything concerning mental health and mental performance falls under me. We've really tried to organise all our services to ensure athletes are psychologically prepared. We're working with athletes from the moment they make Team USA until they step onto the big stage. The stage is large when you're looking at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and we try to prepare them to understand what a big stage it is.

She says, adding that what sparked her interest in the mental health of athletes was her own experience when getting injured while playing on the soccer team in high school.

I was injured a lot, and it was hard to get back after each one, particularly the last time, which was a significant injury. I really struggled with my identity and who I was outside of sports. I think that things have come a long way since I was an athlete, though we still need changes. So, I think my goal was two things. Number one was to build the resources I felt I didn't have. And number two was to make sure my kids have different sports experiences and to create a more inclusive, holistic place where their mental health is valued. There's a lot you can learn from sport. And so, I just want the environment to be as healthy and welcoming as possible.

She says.

Social media can be a great platform

Next, we turn our attention to social media and its impact on athletes. Bartley points out that this is the biggest change: the evolution of social media and artificial intelligence.

I think it really impacts the athlete's mental health, and so we must keep getting creative with how we tackle social media. It can be a great platform for athletes, and after Milan-Cortina, many ended up walking away with huge social media followings, new platforms, new sponsorships, and new opportunities. But we also had a lot of issues around social media, so it was interesting to just talk with athletes, help them balance it and understand it.

She says, adding that related to this is the ongoing battle against eating disorders, which are more prevalent among athletes.

On social media, you're on display and very visible. Uniforms can be very revealing, and there are a lot of things where people will comment on anything, and they won't know you. So, there can be a lot of scrutiny for these athletes. And so, I think it's hard when you're thinking about yourself, your body image, how you look, the way you present the world. We try to work with the athletes a lot, and our surveys indicate that this is a problem with more than half of them.

Exchanging ideas and learning from one another

Before joining the USOPC, Bartley built a career in applied sport psychology, working with athletes and teams in both clinical and performance settings.

When I graduated, I really wanted to work in sports. I never necessarily wanted to work for the Olympics, and it wasn’t even an option since I became the first director of mental health six years ago. But I really enjoy my role today and often enjoy meeting people from other countries, exchanging ideas and learning from one another. I'd never been to Iceland, so I was particularly interested in coming here. I have also been to Japan and a few Caribbean countries. I really appreciate talking with other countries to understand what would be helpful. Is there something they could borrow from what we've done? I borrowed a lot from other countries that have been doing this either longer or differently, and tried to understand what would work for our system.

She says, adding that her team really tried to understand which problem was most significant to solve.

For us, it was about understanding what to do in the face of minimal crises. What if an emergency happened? So, we started with that. In the United States, we have a very decentralised system. Our athletes are really all over the country, so it was also about understanding, like, okay, if they have a crisis, where do they go and who do they call? That's what I presented to the RU students today: how our system works. We have manuals, apps, protocols, and individual providers. We have telehealth, we have all these options, and I think the reason we really like having so many options is that our population is so large and so diverse. We weren't sure what people would like, but some athletes feel much more comfortable using an app or texting with a provider than seeing them in person.

She says, adding that some of it could work for some different countries.

To make it work, you must understand the stigma and acknowledge the healthcare system in each country. For instance, how do young people talk about mental health, what's accepted, what's not acceptable, and what's the main way that they consume education? Is that, say, on TikTok? Or other social media platforms. We are still working on the programme in the United States, and we keep trying to understand what people need and want.

She concludes.