Student Athletes for Healthy Relationships

The In-Schools Program is the main crux and initial intended method to reach the student athletes and to reach our mission and goals. The ISP will use the Relationships 101 workshop curriculum designed and based on my 30 years experience in mental health, domestic violence, and private counseling. Relationships 101 is the culmination of everything that I have taught my clients and everything that they have taught me about their lives. The workshop provides easy to digest information and tools to assess the quality of relationship dynamics, to build healthy communication and conflict resolution skills, and to understand the basics of human interactions and interpersonal relationships. Using anecdotal information, I can illustrate how humans internalize social learning and role modeling, how cognitive schema and beliefs are formed, and describe the parameters and influences of human reactions and behaviors, including the use of violence.

The In-Schools Program will place emphasis on describing and reducing intimate partner abuse in an effort to reduce teen dating violence, sexual assaults, and bullying. Connections between mental health, substance abuse, and antisocial behaviors, such as bullying, vandalism / criminal behaviors, and substance abuse will be illustrated with anecdotal information to demonstrate the widespread commonality of the issues and experiences. Compassion and empathy will be promoted by developing understanding of victims' experiences and the diversity of effects and responses that define the parameters of human behaviors. Relationships 101 can explain the extremes of behaviors in real life events witnessed daily by explaining the effects of traumatic patterns and abuses.

Student athlete participants and coaches will receive a Relationships 101 workshop handbook and t-shirt, hat, water bottle, and sports towel. Schools will receive DVD recording of their schools' presentation and written materials for future use. Ideally, STAHRS will present to interested schools every two years, hopefully catching students twice prior to graduation.

Participants will become ambassadors to promoting positive peer cultures of acceptance and inclusion as part of the anti-bullying campaign. Promoting inclusion, compassion, understanding can positively influence interaction with new students, foreign students, and "different" kids can potentially reduce the depression, anxiety, and negative self-esteem frequently associated with the socially awkward and withdrawn.

Estimated costs per student athlete is $50/ participant. The cost for 100 students is $5000. The In-Schools Program will target rural school districts to address gaps in in rural mental health services and will seek grant funding to primarily fund the ISP. Speaker costs are estimated at $1500 per full day. The Relationships 101 workshop can cover 8-16 hours of time depending on depth of materials covered through small group break out sessions and other guest presentations.