How UTEP is helping student athletes in need of mental health services

EL PASO, Texas - With the pressures to perform on the field or on the court, student athletes can often feel overwhelmed.

That takes a toll on their mental health.

UTEP is ensuring student athletes have access to mental heath services.

Four years ago they partnered with Emergence Health Network to provided student athletes with free counseling.

Rene Hurtado is the chief of staff of Emergence Health Network.

"This partnership with UTEP came about really organically," Hurtado said. "We knew student athletes had mental health challenges, and we knew we were at the right place at the right time to offer that type of service." 

Posters from the Emergence Health Network are placed at UTEP athletic facilities.

The headline reads, 'Miners Matter.'

The posters list some of the warning signs of depression along with a phone number to a mental health hotline.

If a student athlete requires further assistance they can schedule an appointment with a therapist.

The counseling session can be either virtual or in-person, and there is no out of pocket cost.

"They're able to talk about the need to reach out and when that student athlete decides to make that call we make it easy for them to come to our clinic," Hurtado said.

Emergence Health Network therapist Alejandra Menchaca Guedea has counseled several UTEP athletes.

"College athletes are taught to be strong and independent and in control," Guedea said. "So seeking out services for mental health can sometimes come with the stigma that they're weak or why do they need help? Breaking those barriers is important." 

For a lot of athletes it's also their first time away from home.

Combine that with the pressure to perform in their sport it can sometimes be too much, but there are some solutions.

"Journaling. That way they can start putting their emotions down instead of suppressing them," Guedea said. "Write down the emotion, go for walks, hang out with friends and get away from just training."

Along with the posters on campus, advertisements for Emergence Health Network have started to run at UTEP sporting events.

"The stigma is breaking out so open conversations about mental health is so important," Guedea said. "Sometimes they (student athletes) are struggling on their own, and they don't want to share because they feel ashamed, so being able to see those ads it's going to be able to open up those conversations about their mental health struggles."