BEYOND
the LIGHTS
Program
Focusing On the Person Inside the Athlete to Improve Both
Improving Student Athletes’ Mental Health On and Off the Field
Beyond The Lights (BTL) is a unique program designed to help coaches, teams, and individual athletes by providing tools to monitor and improve student athletes’ mental health. BTL is one of the first mental training programs for athletes designed with a strong focus on the whole person—we consider the mental health and wellbeing in the athletes’ overall life, instead of singularly focusing on athletic performance.
We describe our program as Balance and Resilience Training (BRT) and employ techniques to normalize common challenges and struggles experienced by competitive student-athletes.
More than 80% of coaches reported spending more time discussing mental health with student-athletes …[and] indicated that the top issue facing the team they coach was supporting student-athlete mental health.
Student-athletes continue to report …elevated rates of mental exhaustion, anxiety and feelings of being depressed.
Among the student-athletes in the sample who were considering transferring, respondents identified mental health as an important reason for doing so.
One-third of coaches reported mental exhaustion, feelings of being overwhelmed by all they had to do, and considerable sleep difficulties.
Our goal is to work with the person, not just the athlete, to give them the support and confidence they need to recognize, communicate, and manage mental health struggles that may be experienced during the course of a season and academic year. Through this approach, both the person and the athlete are better positioned for success. A balanced and resilient athlete is someone best suited for the next level, whether that means professional athletics or making a positive impact on the world through their other talents.
Single-Team Workshop (75-90min), $800
Goal: Education & Growth
Single session designed for a specific team and tailored to specific topics or identified issues that the team coach and players want to focus on.
Single Team Check-In (60-75min), $500
Goal: Positive Momentum
Facilitated discussion among a team or specifically selected participants to provide intentional space for reflection to establish, maintain, or increase positive morale.
Coaches’ Workshops (60-120min),$1,000
Goal: Athlete Struggles Prevention /Support
Interactive presentation with coaches to help enable or enhance their ability to proactively prevent, and effectively identify and support, student-athlete mental challenges.
Individual Sessions (45min), $225*
Goal: Prevention & Coping
One-on-one sessions between a therapist and individual student-athletes who may benefit from private sessions to work through challenges specific to their situations.
*Health insurance may be accepted to cover the offset cost
Team Program Packages are also available for both in-season and off-season. Contact us for more information
33% of all college students experience significant symptoms of depression, anxiety, or other mental health conditions. Among that group, 30% seek help.
“Freshman year of college, especially for those playing a sport, is like walking through an obstacle course wearing a blindfold.”
Kate Fagan, What Made Maddy Run
Mental health is rigidly and fatally misunderstood, especially in college athletics.”
Mikaela Brewer, Guard, Stanford University Women’s Basketball Team
“I was not ready for the adjustment to college. I struggled heavily with balancing schoolwork with lacrosse, and I fell behind very quickly. The stress to do well both in the classroom and on the field contributed as well.”
Connor Remington, Freshman Midfielder, Stevenson University Men’s Lacrosse Team
"When college campuses are willing to have open conversations about the importance of mental health, taking care of yourself mentally can ease the apprehension of student-athletes seeking help."
Scott Hamilton, a Mental Health Clinical Counselor at DePauw
About Lantz
Lantz Kilburn is a big believer in the power of building positive, supportive relationships through therapy. Working with different client populations—specifically with student athletes, having been one himself—has helped him develop an orientation of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) combined with mindfulness. He emphasizes the importance of being forgiving and present within ourselves, with the understanding that our body is most often working to protect us. Lantz graduated from Merrimack College with his MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and before that from Hamilton College with a degree in Neuroscience and Theatre. He was a varsity student-athlete at both institutions and a coach at the former.