Aggies' Counseling & Sport Psychology Office Ready to Serve Student-Athletes

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and we are proud to feature Texas A&M Athletics' Counseling and Sport Psychology Services department. Click the link to learn more about what they offer Aggie student-athletes.

This story originally ran at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Davis Diamond has seen its last home run for this season. All the bubbles have popped in Blue Bell Park for 2020. Pat Henry won't get a chance to add another national championship trophy . . . or two. Texas A&M's tennis courts and golf course sit eerily silent.
 
The coronavirus pandemic prematurely has ended games, matches, rounds, meets, seasons and careers.
 
"For many, competing for Texas A&M is a life-long dream, and for our coaches, they invest time and resources to recruit the best for each program," A&M Athletics Director Ross Bjork said. "It's tough on everyone.  But in my conversations with them, both coaches and student-athletes, they understand that this is an unprecedented situation no one saw coming.  In times like these, we see the true character of our culture as a department, and their handling of this sudden change in their life has been impressive.  It's a credit to our quality of athlete as individuals and to the leadership of our coaches and staff."
 
The unprecedented reality of the situation is taking time to sink in, and it's harder for some to come to terms with than it is for others.
 
A&M's sports psychologists are helping Aggie student-athletes cope with their loss and grief over unexpectedly losing a season after the NCAA canceled all spring competitions. The decision ended some student-athletes' careers without notice . . . and without a senior day.
 
"If you would have told me, 'Hey, this is what's going to happen,' I would have bet all the money in the world you were wrong," said Dr. Ryan Pittsinger, who, since 2016, has worked in the A&M athletic department as the director of counseling and sport psychology. "One of the things that's really heartwarming and very impressive -- and unsurprising -- is just the resiliency of these student-athletes. They have really managed this incredibly well.
 
"Yeah, there's a sense of loss and grief with their own situation, but the vast majority of our student-athletes are thinking outside themselves. 'Hey, people in my community and people across the world are dying from this. Yeah, I don't get to play, but there are bigger things that are happening right now.' That's been really, really nice to see. "
 
It was on March 12 that the NCAA announced that it was calling off all spring sports. NCAA spokeswoman Stacey Osburn said in a statement the decision was "based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities."
 
The men's and women's basketball teams ended their seasons before the SEC tournament. The baseball team played only 18 games, none in conference play, while the softball team played 26 games. The track and field teams didn't get to compete in the NCAA indoor championships and had a whole outdoor season in front of them. Golf and tennis were just getting started.
 
It ended without much warning. Suddenly, instead of practicing with their teammates, student-athletes were forced to leave campus to practice social distancing.
 
"There's a lot of fear of the unknown, a lot of that loss of having that expectation of what to expect and now I don't have that anymore, and it's totally out of their control. That makes it really tough," Pittsinger said.
 
Pittsinger met with some teams and several student-athletes in person immediately after the NCAA's decision and before the school's athletic facilities were closed. He remains available by phone or Zoom, a video conferencing service.
 
Pittsinger also has provided student-athletes with handouts on how to cope with grief after a sudden loss, how to manage anxiety and how to cope during social distancing and self-isolation.
 
"I tell people all the time, it's not like I'm prepared for this, so it's really just approaching it with being calm and understanding this is a fluid situation," Pittsinger said. "That statement has been thrown around so much, but it's really true. Let's do the best we can. Let's leave everybody where they are, and just really manage this one step at a time."
 
With A&M facilities unavailable for use, as are gyms in the state of Texas, student-athletes are faced with nothing to do. They can't work out. Or at least not as they're accustomed to working out.
 
A&M extended spring break by a week. That means for two weeks student-athletes didn't have school work either, leaving them with free time they wouldn't otherwise have had. What to do with all that idle time while practicing social distancing?
 
Pittsinger recommended exercise such as running or walking, connecting with friends or family on Facetime or Skype, trying a new hobby and/or keeping a journal.
 
"Normally, they have such a structured routine, and they're around people and they have things they're accountable for, and now, all of a sudden, that's not even allowed," Pittsinger said. "That's been tough navigating. We've talked about how to hold yourself accountable and set up routines and structure and how they can do that. It's really just walking through that with them. It's also how to engage in other positive forms of self-care."
 
Pittsinger is one of two sports psychologists on staff, along with Dr. Lauren Craig. Normally, their job entails trying to give A&M a mental edge in competition.
 
The competition, though, has stopped, and no one knows when it will resume.
 
The only known is the spring sports are finished for 2020.
 
"What I've seen from our student-athletes and their attitude throughout this situation has been one of disappointment but understanding," Bjork said. "It is being able to provide resources like Dr. Pittsinger, one of the best in the country, as a sounding board, a trained professional who has the unique ability to help identify areas of concern and address them. This is what he has trained for all his career. Handling day-to-day stresses that student-athletes may encounter in this changing world is one thing; having the ability to handle a crisis and pandemic is another. As a result, his role today is more important than ever."
 
"This event will, in some ways, define this generation. He will help them in bringing clarity to what that definition is, each in their own individual way."