Mental Health University

By Joel Ingersoll PHD

All in on college mental health, mental performance, and maxing personal development for college students. Host Dr. Joel Ingersoll brings 20+ year of counseling, advising, coaching and mentoring thous... more

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FAQs about Mental Health University:

How many episodes does Mental Health University have?

The podcast currently has 45 episodes available.

Mental Health University episodes:

August 12, 2024 5 Key Mindset Skills for Athletes & Students
What does it take to sustain performance (athletic, academic, leadership)? Scan the internet for words of wisdom and you'll come across dozens of suggestions. In this episode (and her last as an intern for now), co-host Sarah Policano details her top 5 mindset skills - keys for development as an athlete and student at Bucknell University. We detail the 5 skills and highlight those that serve as the foundation of Emotional Intelligence Skills, critical for anyone to develop.

Episode Highlights:
- Mindset skills for peak performance.
- Elements of self-motivation.
- Sarah's development of skills over time as an athlete.
- Troubleshooting moments when sustaining attention is a challenge.
- Emotional Intelligence (EI) related to performance, development, and potential.
- Supplying yourself with confidence.
- "Mental Toughness" a common (but limiting) phrase.
- The value of increasing self-awareness.
- Developing skills over time, not overnight!

Thanks for listening & sharing!

...more
41min
August 05, 2024 Body Image: Recognizing Signs & Troubleshooting
Body image is a top concern among mental health professionals working with adolescents and young adults. We dig into the range of challenges among students and student athletes susceptible to distorted body image, the domino effect with other eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia), psychological health and performance. Other related topics include the perception of "healthy," pressure of social media, and misinformation around diets, supplements, and workout plans from non-credentialed "expert" influencers.

Episode highlights:
- The nature of body image challenges among students.
- Dialogue about body image observed in conversation with middle school kids.
- Challenges for student athletes in weight specific sports.
- Labels, language, & perception: "skinny, strong, powerful."
- A healthy relationship with food as a necessary fuel for performance (brain & body).
- Caution on the metrics of progress we tend to amplify.
- The unregulated supplement world: Dr. Joel's story
- Key tips for accessing help.
...more
49min
July 29, 2024 Keys to Becoming Coachable - and Unstoppable
Are you coachable?
Talented high school and college athletes are in full swing practice mode as the fall semester and sports season quickly approaches. For any student, student-athlete, performer, or professional who aspires toward excellent performance in whatever their chosen endeavor a massive question looms: "Are you coachable?" Seems like the question should have an obvious answer - "Of course I am!"
In this episode we dig into the mental challenges of being coached - or receiving critical feedback from evaluators including the range of ways students unknowingly respond that may impact performance. We provide insight into ways of seeing the big picture during uncomfortable emotional moments of receiving feedback and action steps to take toward making meaningful changes.
Listeners this is not just for students - as we also detail the value of coaches and leaders to be coached, for everyone can benefit from a trusted accountability partner to help us see our blind spots. So tune in, enjoy, and please share!
Episode highlights:
- Mental challenges of being coached
- Risks of personalizing feedback
- Understanding stages of change
- Getting stuck in contemplation
- 3 keys to discovering your potential
- Mental commitment to ongoing development
- Risks of giving into negative emotions & how they effect performance and team dynamics
- How to proactively respond to unfavorable feedback (coaches, teachers, and bosses)
- Why every leader can benefit from coaching
...more
49min
July 22, 2024 Pressure Overload on Students & Athletes
While athletes and students strive for excellence, many experience psychological distress when pressure to perform intensifies. This occurs too often in athletes and students, especially when they land in a narrow view of defining "success." We dig into the common metrics students and athletes use to define success and the range of mental health effects of too much pressure, the impact of excessive pressure on performance, self-concept, and highlight how world class athletes are including mental health professionals on their development team.
Episode highlights:
- Pressure in sports and academics
- Risks of a score driven culture
- Risks of focusing on singular data points for success
- How to avoid defining yourself by a moment in time
- Big names connecting with sports psychologists: Biles, Cavendish, Phelps, Osaka, Bolt, Williams (Serena), Clark (Wyndham)
- College athletic programs including in house mental health support
- How students can use resources on and off campus
...more
51min
July 15, 2024 The Psychological Impact of Recovering from Sports Injuries
Athletes encounter a host of psychological hurdles when recovering from injury. In this episode we dig into the challenges of coping mentally during recovery, decisions to re-commit to playing, awareness cues for realistic expectations, trusting our body to perform again, and the risks when athletes choose/are told they can no longer play. I have worked with dozens of athletes in a range of these circumstances. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to include a mental health professional as a part of the recovery team.
Episode highlights:
- Personal athletic injuries
- Normalizing psychological reactions
- Coping with big decisions
- Realistic expectations during recovery
- Risks of no structure
- The role of a mental health professional
- What to do if an athlete discontinues playing.
...more
46min
July 08, 2024 Big Risks of Social Media on Personal Development
In this episode we dig into the pros and cons of social media on student and student-athlete development. Key areas like self-concept, self-confidence, body image, professional readiness, and relationship building, and intimacy are highlighted. Targeted action steps for students to develop “healthy” engagement with social media apps at a critical time of development!
Episode highlights:
- Social media & branding, NIL presence.
- The motivation behind interacting on social media.
- Who is validating and authoring your life?
- Great read! “The Crowd” by Gustave LeBon.
- Creating a personal barometer for healthy engagement.
...more
55min
July 01, 2024 Effectively Responding to Failure
Response to failure (perceived or real) is a critical skill for developing athletes & students. A lack of this skill has significant implications on self-confidence, mental health challenges (depression, anxiety, substance use), and general enjoyment of the activity. We dive into the normalcy of failure and highlight how it is a necessary experience to fuel personal strength and ongoing success. Specific examples and action steps are included to increase self-awareness and provide strategies to implement. At the end of the episode, be sure to stick around for a brief exercise to help develop this key success skill. Episode highlights:
- The fallout from a negative response to failure.
- Keys to increase awareness of negative thinking traps.
- Responding favorably and fairly.
- How to redefine your experience.
- It needs to be fun!
- Do not use social media for validation.
...more
55min
June 24, 2024 Stress, Student-Athletes & Peak Performance
Life is an ongoing sparring match with stress. The mental and physical implications of ignoring stress are massive. In this episode we dig into performance and chronic stress among student athletes and college students, highlighting the health (mental and physical) risks if ignored. We also explain the nature of stress, what cues to look for, and action steps listeners can apply immediately to better manage stress. Be sure to stick around after the episode - I’ll walk you through an easy exercise I often utilize with athletes/performers that can be used across a range of athletic, academic, and social experiences. Just be mindful to practice the skill. Other episode highlights include:
How to effectively use stress energy.
The impact of how we label physical cues.
Building a personal warm-up.
Simple, action steps to use daily.
The importance of asking for help.
...more
1h
June 17, 2024 Student-Athletes Making the Leap from High School to College Sports.
The jump from high school to college for a student-athlete carries many new challenges. Athletic, academic, and psychological hurdles loom large - even for the most gifted, successful high school athletes. In this episode we dive into those challenges, highlight the importance of prioritizing mental health, and the vast resources for student-athletes to connect with on campus. Intern & co-host Sarah Policano (Bucknell University Student Athlete) sheds valuable insights and tips for soon to be college student-athletes.
Episode Overview:
Introducing student-athlete Sarah Policano.
A Runner’s Mindset.
Psychological tests in making the jump to college sports.
Adjusting to academic & athletic changes.
Structure, Time Management & Schedules.
Mental Health Awareness & Campus Resources.
Transparency of professional athletes with mental health.
Sports psychologists on campus.
The critical skill of asking for help.
...more
49min
February 27, 2023 Healthy College Relationships
College relationships have huge mental health implications. Toxic relationships can implode a college semester, including academic performance, mental health, and key areas of personal development. In this episode we dive into signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships, including those long distance relationship challenges that affect a college experience. 2:00 : College relationships
5:30 : Long distance dating
12:20 : Keys for a healthy relationship
23:50 : Being homesick
32:00 : Keys to coping with adjustment
33:45 : Having the GAP year conversation
37:00 Recap
...more
41min

FAQs about Mental Health University:

How many episodes does Mental Health University have?

The podcast currently has 45 episodes available.