Warrington Wolves RFC know how hard-hitting sport can be, with the highs and lows of competitive sport often giving rise to intense pressure and scrutiny. Recognising the risk to participants inherent in this, the team at Warrington are proud of and dedicated to standing shoulder to shoulder with their players to talk openly about mental health.
Having experienced anxiety and acute depression throughout her career, while preparing for a Rugby League World Cup, Wolves player Jessica Courtman also started experiencing insomnia, and her concerns began to affect her training. One conversation with her coach changed everything.
The moment that her coach discovered that she had anxiety, he knew that the way they communicated as a team needed an overhaul to ensure her mental health and well-being were understood and prioritised.
Looking back, Jessica highlights the severe effect that her mental health was having on her ability to train and compete in the sport she loves:
"I would have a lot of apprehension prior to the training sessions, to the point where I would make myself physically sick about the thought of being in a training environment. I would overthink the situations, which ultimately made my insomnia worse, which meant I could often feel quite lethargic within drills and couldn’t perform to my full potential. This would trigger my anxiety, knowing I needed to be giving my all to be in with a chance to be selected for the World Cup.
It was judgement-free, unstinting support from her coach, built on a recognition of Jessica’s unique, individual needs and effective communication, that transformed her experience.
"Once we had established good communication between coach and player, the support I received was astonishing. My coach would go out of his way to ensure we were regularly communicating, arrange one-to-one chats where we could work through things I had been struggling with, and send me notes that used to give me a lot of confidence and settle my mind."
Her coach at the time, Chris Chapman, was instrumental in helping Jessica manage the pressure of competition and the intense build-up to a World Cup.
It wasn’t always an easy process, as they needed to explore what would be most effective for Jessica, and work on building a spirit of openness that would foster effective communication.
"It honestly took a while for myself and Chris to work each other out, this mainly being down to me not being completely open. But after many conversations and establishing in my mind that he was understanding of my struggles, we developed quite a close relationship.
"During our training sessions, we established I was a very visual learner and needed to see something to understand it otherwise I could work myself up.
Dealing with the mental strain that occurs in competitive sporting environments takes time, and the dedicated support that coaches offer continues to be integral to creating healthier, happier athletes who are both ready to give their best and have the support they need to address any concerns and manage their mental health.
Recognising that this can be challenging for coaches both new and experienced, UK Coaching has released the Duty to Care Hub, which contains a suite of resources covering the pillars of Diversity, Inclusion, Mental Health and Well-being, Physical Well-being, Safeguarding, and Safe to Practice to help coaches embed the principles of the six pillars into everyday coaching practice.
"Chris actually got me counselling sessions, through England Rugby League, which really helped me talk through a lot of my issues and apprehensions ahead of going to a World Cup where I’d be out of my usual comfort environment."
Referencing that a stigma still exists around talking openly about mental health, Jessica explains that reaching out felt impossible – but once managed, had a significant positive impact.
"It’s very daunting to approach anyone, and especially someone you’re trying to impress. There’s a big stigma still sadly, so to be open about it made such a positive difference to me and felt like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders – someone I trust knowing what I was going through."
Jessica continues to reap the benefits of her coach’s holistic, judgement-free support in and beyond her journey in sport and physical activity.