Mental health support for your whole squad

More common than the results on the field would ever suggest. Around 46.4% of Australian elite athletes had symptoms of at least one mental health problem, and 27.2% reported depression symptoms, higher again among injured athletes. It is not only the athletes either. About 41.2% of elite coaches and high-performance support staff met criteria for a likely mental health condition. The strain shows up across codes too. Sport-related psychological distress was the most common symptom among Australian professional footballers, affecting 52% of active male and 63% of active female players. These are not rare cases. Chances are someone in your organisation is doing it tough right now.

It is rarely one thing. The pressure to perform and win, intense public and media scrutiny, injury and the long road back, selection and contract uncertainty, constant travel and the fear of being seen as not coping all add up. Many people in sport feel they have to push through and not let the team down, which can stop them reaching out until things reach crisis point. The distress reaches well beyond the elite tier. Among semi-elite Australian football (WAFL) players, 22.8% reported depressive symptoms, with women reporting them far more often than men. An EAP gives your people a simple, private way to talk things through before the pressure builds up.

An Employee Assistance Program gives your athletes, coaches and staff free, professional counselling for whatever is weighing on them, whether that is performance anxiety, injury, sleep, relationships, money worries, grief or their mental health. With Talked, your people book a session with a qualified Australian psychologist or counsellor and talk by video, phone or message, around training and game schedules. Getting in early matters for the person and for the organisation. Poor mental health costs Australian businesses up to $39 billion each year in lost productivity and participation, and in sport that shows up as availability, performance and people walking away from the game. Support that comes early keeps your people well, present and performing.

Confidentiality is what makes people feel safe enough to reach out, especially in a tight-knit squad where everyone knows everyone. What an athlete, coach or staff member discusses with their clinician stays between them and the clinician. As the employer you never see who booked a session or what was raised, only anonymous, aggregate usage and wellbeing data. The single exception is a serious risk to someone's safety, which clinicians are legally required to act on. That privacy is exactly why people use the service, and your reporting still gives you the insight you need to manage risk and meet your obligations.

Quickly, which matters when an injury, a tough loss or a wave of criticism hits and the next training session is tomorrow. Once your organisation is set up, your people get a simple link or code, can book online in a few minutes, choose a clinician and connect by video, phone or message. There is no GP referral, no long forms and no waiting weeks, and support is available outside standard hours so early starts, late finishes and travel do not get in the way.

You choose the plan, and Talked tailors the number of sessions to suit your organisation and budget. Most plans include a set number of free sessions per person each year, which is enough to work through most issues. If someone needs longer-term or more specialised support, their clinician helps them find the right next step. Talk to us and we will size a plan to your squad, staff and the demands they are under.