The University of Cincinnati Bearcats athletics department is pushing to prioritize mental health for its more than 450 student-athletes amid national attention after hiring the department’s first director of sports psychology. Lenecia D. Nickell will assume the new role when she leaves Cypress, Texas, where she ran her own counseling and consulting service practice for 10 years.
The University of Cincinnati Bearcats athletics department is pushing to prioritize mental health for its more than 450 student-athletes amid national attention after hiring the department’s first director of sports psychology.
Lenecia D. Nickell will assume the new role when she leaves Cypress, Texas, where she ran her own counseling and consulting service practice for 10 years.
While currently pursuing his Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision from Adams State University, Nickell’s master’s degree in counseling from Sam Houston State is combined with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Texas A&M University.
“Our number one priority is helping our student-athletes reach their potential and adding Lenecia to our team puts us in a position to provide the resources necessary to keep them healthy, safe and well, on and off the field,” John Cunningham, Cincinnati’s athletic director said.
Nickell, a certified mediator and parent facilitator, has worked in elementary schools and nonprofits in Texas and California. At Kids Inc., Nickell served children, teens and families.
Nickell will oversee all mental health services for Cincinnati student-athletes.
Cincinnati Athletics currently has a Student and Athlete Support Service (SASS) department with a staff of 11, led by Dr. Joe Luckey. The addition of Nickell appears to be a critical step for the well-being of student-athletes, as SASS’s current goals center around academic matters, such as an athlete’s GPA and graduation rate.
Two Cincinnati women’s basketball players spoke to The News Record in the fall of 2021 on the mental health status of student-athletes in Cincinnati.
With the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic hampering student-athlete experiences, as many outsiders may agree, mental health has been increasingly discussed in regards to athletes and the stigma surrounding it.
Oftentimes, an athlete’s mental health is denied in praise of their physical health so they can put on a show in front of the fans. The pandemic has changed that. From national stars like Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles, athletes on the international stage have taken a stand for mental health to become an industry priority.
Nickell is apparently Cincinnati’s answer to giving athletes an outlet and a voice in the midst of the hectic life of being a student-athlete.
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