Resilience for the Rocky Road: Lessons Learned from an Educational Program for First Year Collegiate Student-Athletes

Abstract

Student-athletes in the United States encounter a myriad of academic, athletic, and social challenges as they transition into their first year of college sport and life. During this transition, strengths-based, psychological skills programming can provide valuable skill-building education as well as awareness and development of social support resources. The purpose of this paper is provide an overview of the development and implementation of a resilience-based educational program to support student-athletes during the transition from high school into their first year of college, explore student-athlete perceptions of the program, and identify lessons learned for sport psychology practitioners.