The experiences of social workers in NCAA Division I athletic departments

Abstract

ABSTRACT There has been increased attention to mental health programing in collegiate athletics. Social workers are one type of professional that can provide mental health care in the collegiate athletics, but there is limited research on social work practice in a sport setting. Thus, the purpose of this research was to explore the experiences of licensed social workers in a college sport setting. The thematic analysis of interviews with nine social workers produced four themes: (a) in-milieu work; (b) athletic performance; (c) misconceptions; and (d) indirect career path. The findings suggest that in-milieu style work helped social workers build positive relationships with other staff members. However, there was also a misunderstanding of the social workers’ role and no direct career path. Furthermore, the social workers discussed doing some type of performance enhancement work. These results have implications both for programing decisions by athletic departments and also for the social work profession.