NAIA Announces Mental Health Partnership to Assist Student-Athletes

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced on Thursday that it has signed a strategic partnership with Training the Complete Athlete as its ‘Official Trusted Student-Athlete Mental Health Partner.’ The initial term of the agreement will run through December of 2026.

Training the Complete Athlete provides NAIA Institutions access to various training opportunities, including sessions that are one-to-one and that deal in crisis management, among others. Additionally, the company can assist in developing relationships and providing skills to institutions for the growing number mental health issues on college campuses throughout the nation.

“We are keenly aware of the resources our schools need in the area of mental health, so we are excited to make the announcement of this strategic partnership today,” said NAIA President and CEO Jim Carr. “Training the Complete Athlete will be a great resource our schools can use to address mental health issues on their campuses.”

Training the Complete Athlete specializes in dealing with the pressures of being a student-athlete in the modern world and has expertise in equipping athletics departments in dealing with these from several levels.

“I’m so excited to be partnering with the NAIA,” said Training the Complete Athlete Owner Carrie Kosderka-Farrell. “The strong commitment to student athlete experience and wellness is inspiring. I love being able to support the mental wellness of the whole community of the NAIA."

ABOUT NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS (NAIA) The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small athletics programs that are dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics. NAIA members provide more than 83,000 student-athletes with opportunities to play college sports, earn $1.3 Billion in scholarships and compete in 28 national championships. naia.org | @NAIA

TRAINING THE COMPLETE ATHLETE Training the Complete Athlete boldly talks about mental health and how to affect the mind and the body. The sports world has only just recently started addressing this issue due to the alarming number of student athlete suicides. The pressure of performing academically and on the field, court, or pool without the right skills is, as you have seen, unbearable. Training the Complete Athlete is equipt to help build those life saving mental health skills in student athletes.