When Athletes Crack

With the Absence of a Sports Psychologist, Athletic Trainers are Left to Pick up the Pieces

When Megan Murphy joined the Marist College athletic training staff in 2021, she imagined busy days in the training room, taping up injured athletes, preparing teams to be physically ready for any challenge that comes their way. What she did not realize, is that was only part of her job description. The other part was unwritten, unprepared by any of her years of schooling. While her typical regiment remained the same, the trainer wore a different hat most days in the office; not only was she expected to rehab the students physically, she found herself in the position where her athletes came to her for mental help, something she found consistent throughout her time working for the college football and water polo teams.

“I think they need an outlet” Murphy stated, “That's not their coach, that's not directly related to sports or school, you know - just someone that can be their friend, as well as offer some advice if they need it.[It’s] an adult figure that's not an adult figure in a way; I think that's how they look at me”. Athletes would come into Murphy’s room as an escape. While they rested after practice or prepared for a big game, they vocalized their experience on their team, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Murphy joined the training staff after working for the New York Red Bulls, and Princeton University's football and men's hockey programs.

“They get very frustrated with themselves especially if they're not having a good day” Murphy mentioned “You can really see it affect their mood, and then that kind of translates into their schoolwork so it's really a trickle down effect”. While they originally started coming to see Murphy for physical injuries, the mental health struggles of her athletes began to emerge the longer she spent with them They began to trust her. “A big [issue] that I see and I hear them communicate with me every day is performance anxiety. And if they're injured, also, they're worried that they're going to lose their starting spot, they're going to lose playing time. That really does affect them more than you would think it does.”

I’ve asked people if they [have] ever went to the counseling center here, and a lot of them were like, ‘We even have a counseling center?’”

How did this happen exactly? At what point did the athletic trainer become a designated sports psychologist? The problem lies deeper than just conversations with athletes. In fact, it stems from the unknowingness of the counseling center by many Marist students. “A lot of people don't really know who to turn to. I talked to not even just the football team, but I’ve asked people if they [have] ever went to the counseling center here, and a lot of them were like, ‘We even have a counseling center?’”.

According to the Marist Counseling services website, their goal is to “Provide information, services, and support with compassion, integrity, and efficiency”. However, with the absence of a designated sports psychologist, a lot of Marist athletes felt lost in translation, overwhelmed by their sport but unwilling to talk to someone who does not understand the feeling. Drew Callahan, a senior on the football team states, “A sports psychologist would probably help a lot of kids. We have 500 and something athletes here; you can't tell me not one kid is going through something where they wouldn't mind just going and sitting in a closed room and chatting for 20 minutes”.

Murphy agrees with Callahan’s sentiment, and mentions that athletes come to her with a lot of stories that could likely be helped by a trained professional. “The academic toll plays a huge part. You have to keep your grades up so it's a challenge. They're sitting here for treatment, doing their homework, just trying to squeeze it in [along with] getting enough rest and eating right. It's just so many things to juggle so it can just get overwhelming at times”. Beyond the overwhelming amount on an athlete’s plate, there are not many people for them to verbalize their feelings to; “I think athletes are still almost hesitant to vocalize the issues that they're having” Murphy stated, “because they don't want to seem like they're being shown weakness especially”.

In terms of Marist College gaining a sports psychologist, this is not exactly looking like an option in the near future, and there has not been any information about if the department would hire one anytime soon. However, the need for one still remains high according to Murphy. “They're trained to work specifically with the issues that the athletes face” Murphy mentioned, “Just giving them another kind of outlet and other support system, someone else for them to go to that is specifically for them [is important]. You get more of them to go to the sport psychologist rather than to counseling so because it's sports related”

"You really have to take the whole part of the person and if their mental health isn't good, then their physical health isn't going to be good [either].”

For now, Murphy’s role at the training office remains the same, juggling the two hats, of trainer and confidant which she says is not something that bothers her. “I have their best interests in mind, all the time, I honestly, I joke all the time, I say, ‘I feel like I have 120 kids’. And honestly I‘d do anything for them and anything that they need”.

She emphasizes that although it is not part of her job description, it does not mean that helping them take care of their mental health is not important. “A lot of times people think athletic training is just injuries, but it's so much more than that.” she said, “ If they're not mentally there, it's not going to translate well into their play [and] into their rehab. You really have to take the whole part of the person and if their mental health isn't good, then their physical health isn't going to be good [either].”

For more information and campus resources visit -

Marist Counseling Services Website: https://www.marist.edu/student-life/services/counseling