High school coaches getting mental health training has been a game changer for students

.....Mutebi remembers football coach Matt Lewis as an early adopter of Be Nice and encouraging his players to be more open about their feelings. Nice isn’t just a way to behave. It is also a pneumonic that helps coaches understand what to do: “Notice, Invite, Challenge and Empower.”

“It’s real simple. ‘Notice,’ notice what is good, what is right so I can notice what is different. ‘Invite’ myself to start a conversation, invite myself to let the person know what I noticed in them that I see that’s not typical behavior … ‘Challenge’ that person to talk about it. Challenge that person to possibly get resources and at that point I’m going to give resources,” Christy Buck, the executive director of the Mental Health Foundation of Western Michigan, told Snow. “‘E’ is for ‘Empowerment’ … empowering that individual with resiliency, acknowledging what protective factors they already have within themselves.”.....

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Bethany`s Notes: HS coaches in Michigan are finding ways to Be Nice to one another and find ways to engage and interact with their athletes to allow them to be more open and honest about their struggles.