How To Support an Athlete Through Concussion Recovery
TLDR: Concussions are complex and those who sustain them are at high risk (link to MH post Concussion BP) for significant mental health challenges. Support them by facilitating their treatment, validating their feelings and connecting them with social supports and trained professionals.
Who Needs Mental Health Support after a Concussion?
In short, most do.
Many athletes experience significant mental health challenges (link to MH & concussions blog post) after a concussion. The good news is that there are things YOU can do to support them.
Not everyone has the words to describe what they are feeling and/or don’t know how to ask for help. In addition to knowing individuals are high risk for mental health challenges after a concussion, here are indicators for support:
Symptoms: noticeable changes in their mood and emotions (challenging because symptoms overlap with concussion symptoms)
Negative Outlook: with statements like “of course this happened to me” or ““I don't feel like I can cope”
Rehab Adherence: either overdoing or completing avoiding doing rehab exercises.
Avoidant Behaviour: excessive withdrawal from friends/family, avoiding conversations around recovery and or mental health, delaying the return-to-play process
HOW to provide support
How and when to support individuals in concussion recovery can change based on where they are at during their concussion recovery. Below are top tips based on different phases of recovery.
Onset (when the injury occurs)
Facilitate early treatment with a concussion specialist (link back to 101 blog post)
Take notes, help ask questions and facilitate creating treatment plan
Allow them to vent
Validate their feelings by saying “I can imagine how hard this is for you” or “I totally understand why you are feeling this way”
Acute Phase (initial few days)
Educate them on the injury
Note any emotional or behavioural changes like irritability, sadness, anxiety, mood swings, avoidance,
Facilitate rest and help limit their stressors (advocate for accommodations from school/work, schedule health appointments and suggest symptom friendly activities like a slow walk, or time outside)
Recovery Phase (first few weeks)
Suggest professional support from a Certfied Mental Performance Consultant or Therapist
Normalize that recovery is not linear and this can cause (a lot) of frustration
Suggest healthy coping mechanisms like brief 1:1 time with social circle, card games, audio books etc.
Refrain from:
Constantly asking about symptoms and their plan moving forward
ASking them what they want to do (they might not know and decision making is taxing on the brain
Return-To-Sport (when they are following the six stages of return to sport)
Normalize having increased anxiety / reduced confidence
Enable open communication about their fears, anxiety or pressure about the RTP process
Manage expectations around their skill level. Athletes are out of sport, on average, for 21 days. It's normal to have slightly reduced skill. This is okay and it will come back.
Help build confidence by celebrating small wins and redirecting conversations to the progress they’ve made (vs. how far to go)
Prolonged Recovery (4+ weeks)
Encourage professional mental health support (link to my services page)
Validate the struggle and loss of identity
Focus on their process - what daily actions can support em
Help them stay connected with their social support network
No two people respond to concussions in the same way. Everyone has their own needs. Do your best to validate, empathize and educate.
If you feel that someone needs support and don’t know how to help, please reach out.
