Mental Health

Throughout 2025, NATA News is partnering with the NATA Student Leadership Committee to create tip sheets for NATA’s student members. This tip sheet focuses on student mental health, especially during finals.

JAT article written to identify the causes, effects, and prevalence of burnout in athletic trainers (ATs) identified in the literature.

JAT article that discusses burnout, a state of physical or emotional exhaustion, a concern within athletic training, as between 17% and 40% of athletic trainers (ATs) report high levels of burnout. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are linked with higher levels of burnout in other health professions.

This session will define and discuss adverse childhood events (ACEs), toxic stress and concentrated disadvantage as well as outline their contribution to poorer health outcomes across the lifespan. In addition, the session will provide information on the core concepts of trauma-informed care and provide ideas for how to implement discussion of ACEs, toxic stress and trauma-informed care into athletic training programs.

NATA Now blog article that reviews what to know about AT burnout.

Webinar on mental health and the role of the AT in recognition and referrals.

Blog article in NATA Now outlines the minority stress theory, which suggests that sexual minorities, underrepresented gender identities as well as queer and other sexual identities (LGBTQ+) commonly experience distinct and chronic stressors related to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

Blog article in NATA Now that gives a list of digital apps that can be utilized to help create self-awareness and coping skills for mental health, specifically within the LGBTQ+ community.

The ICSM and the NCAA recognize the challenges associated with Mental Health care and both agree that Mental Health is growing concern. This toolkit which is composed of five sections has been prepared based on the best knowledge and mental health availability from the authors and utilizes elements from their respective institution’s mental health policies and procedures

NATA News, May 2021 (pdf) that reviews what athletic trainers need to know about the impact of race, ethnicity and culture on mental wellness in the patient population and what they can do to support patients.