What's new
AllBuffs | Unofficial fan site for the University of Colorado at Boulder Athletics programs

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • Prime Time. Prime Time. Its a new era for Colorado football. Consider signing up for a club membership! For $20/year, you can get access to all the special features at Allbuffs, including club member only forums, dark mode, avatars and best of all no ads ! But seriously, please sign up so that we can pay the bills. No one earns money here, and we can use your $20 to keep this hellhole running. You can sign up for a club membership by navigating to your account in the upper right and clicking on "Account Upgrades". Make it happen!

Build Rick George a Statue (was #fireRickGeorge)

Mourinho might have time soon.
Understand Captain America GIF
 
Of course. It just feels like people are placing blame at the feet of the AD as if every program except CU has a full time therapist on staff. Just feels like piling on because people are upset about other things.

Do other programs have players and former players pointing out a lack of attention and resources in this area? Maybe we should listen to them. I'm not sure why you're being obtuse about this.
 
Do other programs have players and former players pointing out a lack of attention and resources in this area? Maybe we should listen to them. I'm not sure why you're being obtuse about this.
I don’t know I don’t really pay attention to other programs’ disgruntled players close enough to know. And all I’ve done is asked if it’s standard practice for an AD to have a full time therapist on staff. Not sure why that’s “being obtuse”.
 
I don’t know I don’t really pay attention to other programs’ disgruntled players close enough to know. And all I’ve done is asked if it’s standard practice for an AD to have a full time therapist on staff. Not sure why that’s “being obtuse”.

Because your questions have been answered with explanations and examples and you're still claiming that these are just "disgruntled players." It seems clear to me that their concerns are legitimate and the AD is slow to do something about it, as usual.
 
We can give the head football coach a fully guaranteed contract, but a full-time mental health expert is a bridge too far.
Didn’t CU receive a lot of kudos nationally for starting a student athlete lead mental health program after the Tyler Helinski suicide at Wazzu?
 
Because your questions have been answered with explanations and examples and you're still claiming that these are just "disgruntled players." It seems clear to me that their concerns are legitimate and the AD is slow to do something about it, as usual.
 
Because your questions have been answered with explanations and examples and you're still claiming that these are just "disgruntled players." It seems clear to me that their concerns are legitimate and the AD is slow to do something about it, as usual.
Actually, my questions have been answered with, “maybe CU should be the first one”, proving my point that this isn’t unique to CU.
 
Therapist (German accent) "So venn dit you start haffing deez feelinks of failure?"
CU player on Couch: "When I was 4"
Therapist: "Ah vell, I see, I see."
CU player: "I just want to beat Arizona again!"
Therapist: "Ha Ha, vell I am not so sure about zat my young friend"
 
I’m sure it’s just a CU issue man. Every other AD in the country has fully licensed therapists on staff for each player I’m sure.

Yet another example.

"Many athletic departments now employee psychiatrists and psychologists to help young people navigate these difficult paths and stay grounded. It sounds like a luxury of the rich, and a recruiting tool, but maybe those safeguards should now be required to do business. Everyone is all for these kids in college making money, but could we have a dose of reality for a moment, too? The all-or-nothing bargain of NIL has fundamental flaws."

https://www.al.com/alabamafootball/...es-concerns-for-mental-health-of-players.html
 
Yet another example.

"Many athletic departments now employee psychiatrists and psychologists to help young people navigate these difficult paths and stay grounded. It sounds like a luxury of the rich, and a recruiting tool, but maybe those safeguards should now be required to do business. Everyone is all for these kids in college making money, but could we have a dose of reality for a moment, too? The all-or-nothing bargain of NIL has fundamental flaws."

https://www.al.com/alabamafootball/...es-concerns-for-mental-health-of-players.html
Great. I hope that becomes more common place and if CU doesn’t have one, they get one.
 
Yet another example.

"Many athletic departments now employee psychiatrists and psychologists to help young people navigate these difficult paths and stay grounded. It sounds like a luxury of the rich, and a recruiting tool, but maybe those safeguards should now be required to do business. Everyone is all for these kids in college making money, but could we have a dose of reality for a moment, too? The all-or-nothing bargain of NIL has fundamental flaws."

https://www.al.com/alabamafootball/...es-concerns-for-mental-health-of-players.html
And here’s another example…
We come to work every day with student-athlete safety and wellness at the forefront of what we do,” said Athletic Director Rick George, who moderated the panel.

In recent years, the Athletic Department has expanded programming for mental health services,nutrition, career development, sports medicine andstrength and conditioning. For example, with additional staffing, mental health counselors now see around 35 student-athletes a week. About three-quarters of student-athletes take advantage of this service during their time at CU.

“I’m pleased with the advancements the Athletic Department has made in all these areas the past six years under Rick George’s leadership,” Chancellor Phil DiStefano told the regents during the board meeting’s host campus report. “The Pac-12 and CU have been among the best in the nation when it comes to making student-athlete health and wellness the No. 1 priority.”
 
Actually, my questions have been answered with, “maybe CU should be the first one”, proving my point that this isn’t unique to CU.
Data say mental health services are widely available in Athletic Departments throughout the US. USC has 10 psychologists.
 
I’ll preface this by saying I personally see a therapist, I work in a job that connects people to mental health services, and I believe most colleges and certainly CU should do more to educate and provide that support to students.

But…the players who have made comments about the lack of mental health support haven’t said anything specific or made allegations of abuse. Miller and Oats are both the type of players who most people on this board are probably glad we cut. If I was recruited to a college and then told a year or two later that I wasn’t good enough to keep my scholarship, I’d probably think that place didn’t care about my mental health, yet that didn‘t seem to be much of a concern for fans when those two announced their transfer.

In terms of the proven players who left, Gonz and Perry don’t appear interested in talking very much about their departures. Rice and Broussard could just fit into a larger trend of offensive skill players who are on the hunt for better teams and more touches, which many are finding is a difficult prerequisite. There’s a reason that doesn’t make much sense why Sneed ends up CU’s number one receiver and Rice ends up being a number three or four at some blueblood. Blackmon was visiting Whittingham this weekend, not exactly a guy known for his empathy and given that his defensive coordinator (and potentially Blackmon’s position coach) is best known for using the n-word, I question how important a positive mental environment is for him.

KD sucks and he has roughly 24 hours to sign like 10 more transfers to possibly salvage a 4-5 win season. I’m not buying too much into these allegations without more specifics though.
 
quick look at the CU AD Staff directory looks like we have a Psychologist on staff. no idea about her job performance or accessibility to the players.

1642511641218.png

CU AD link

Rachel Walker, Psy.D, LP, CMPC, is in her second year as the Director of Psychological Health and Performance (PHP) for the University of Colorado Athletic Department, joining the program in September 2019.

Dr. Walker, and her staff, provide confidential, unlimited, and free services to CU student-athletes, including individual counseling and mental performance sessions. CU’s PHP department works with a wide variety of clinical issues such as anxiety, depression, relationship/family issues, substance use, eating disorders/disordered eating, trauma, transitions, self-esteem, etc.

Walker joined Colorado after a two-year stint as the lead sport psychologist for the University of Delaware Athletic Department and Center for Counseling & Student Development. She was a faculty psychology resident and outreach coordinator for Washington State University’s Counseling and Psychological Services office for the 2016-17 season.

Dr. Walker’s sport psychology interests include individual and team performance enhancement consultation, comprising mindfulness and attention training, mental imagery, goal setting, leadership development, values and vision clarification, and team building.
 
I don’t think of “Sports Psychologists” as being focused on mental health. I think of them in terms of improved performance.

With Covid, there has been a monumental increase in mental health issues like depression. I would hope that any University would have programs and professionals in place to help any student through those things.

Reading Miller’s complaint, he complains about coaches playing favorites and no assistance for players with families.

The “favoritism” complaint is as old as man. I’d think family assistance is something the university would offer any student. Sometimes people need to be proactive if the feel like they need help.
 
because Phil apparently knows where the bodies are buried. Only reason I can see that he is still employed.
Phil is a brown noser, that has been failing upwards literally his entire career at CU. Shockingly brown-nosing is now commonplace in departments throughout the University, driving off talent and alienating those who stay. It's not just the AD, it's the entire University.
 
Phil is a brown noser, that has been failing upwards literally his entire career at CU. Shockingly brown-nosing is now commonplace in departments throughout the University, driving off talent and alienating those who stay. It's not just the AD, it's the entire University.
I think this is mostly true. I’m sure there are outposts in the university that aren’t yet filled with DiStephano acolytes but I’d bet they’re considered heretics.

I’m from a three generation CU Boulder alum family. That’s now ended. My two sons withdrew this past year. No intention of going back.
 
Back
Top