Meet the Drexel doc committed to protecting the mental health of student-athletes
As someone who understands the rigors of being a student-athlete, Dr. Madeline Barlow says it's imperative mental health services are offered within college athletics as a standard.
Dr. Madeline Barlow knows firsthand what it’s like being a student-athlete.
As a former swimmer at Pennsbury High School and at Division II Bloomsburg University, Barlow notes on her website Mind Wise Mentor, that she has a focus on the “athletic identity and the transition out of sports.” A self-described “highly sensitive person,” Barlow writes just how much she recognizes a similar trait in the majority of athletes she works with.
Her own path is described as a “personal healing journey,” one that she took long after she touched the wall of her final race. Now, as she works with Drexel athletes, Barlow notes that there’s not enough work being done to protect the mental well-being of today’s student-athletes.
“Not every school has a mental performance coach,” Barlow, who has worked with Drexel Athletics since 2018 told The Inquirer. “It’s very important. At the very least it’s just someone to be able to talk to that isn’t your coach, because you aren’t meant to talk to your coaches about everything.”
Her goal? Snap the age-old attitudes in sports that performance is all that matters have harmed how student-athletes are often treated. Dr. Barlow, who works with student-athletes, teams, and coaches to provide mental health support and performance coaching say this attitude is one of the main causes of struggling mental-health issues among student-athletes.
“Performance and identity are not supposed to be tied, but the dynamic of sport has led to them being associated together.” Sais Dr. Barlow. “Sport is what you do, not who you are.”
In hers, a very male-dominated field, Dr. Barlow feels that being a woman gives her a special connection with the teams she works with.
“Both the men’s and women’s teams I work with have benefited from feminine energy that isn’t always available in sports,” said Barlow. “I am able to make it very clear to athletes that emotion is a beautiful thing, and it doesn’t make you weak, it makes you strong. Learning to understand what emotions you are feeling and how to navigate them is one of the most important skills a student-athlete can have.”
Dr. Barlow believes that the nature of sports itself can hold athletes back from being able to reach out for help. Some of the most common issues she speaks about with student-athletes include anxiety, thoughts of depression, and confidence issues.
“A lot of athletes don’t seek mental health support, because they feel like there is something wrong with them,” said Barlow. “I’m here to remind them that asking for help is the strongest thing you’ll ever do.”
Outside of her work at Drexel, Dr. Barlow runs her own business, Mind-Wise Mentoring LLC, and has published a book entitled, ‘The Highly Sensitive Athlete.’
Dr. Barlow says that her work focuses on letting athletes know that emotion is not weak, and that they are not defined by their results. Outside of reaching out for help, Dr. Barlow believes a great practice for athletes is to talk about their strengths. “By doing so, you become stronger. We have to be able to recognize what we are good at.”
Other advice for prioritizing your mental health begins with self-awareness of your emotions, slowing down, and tuning in. Ask yourself how you are feeling and what you need, she says.
“The final step is to be brave when asking for help,” said Barlow. “We are not designed to do life alone, and we don’t have to.”