Doc Wayne launch new training portal
October 23, 2020
Doc Wayne, a US non-profit that fuses sport and therapy to heal and strengthen at-risk youth, recently launched The Champions Network training platform. The virtual training portal was created for coaches, clinicians and teachers to harness the power of sport to improve mental health for all. The online resource provides guidance on fundamental and trauma-informed mental health skills that leverage sport and community-based therapies.
The platform is available as one of the solutions to the increased mental health issues due to the pandemic, which are likely to impact children well beyond the pandemic as well. The specialized curriculum, which offers 24/7 training via videos and instructor-led sessions, both live and recorded, includes:
-Trauma-Informed Care
-Mental Health 101 for Coaches & Sport-Based Youth Development Professionals
-Creating Champions Level 1 - Coach & Clinician Track
-Coaching & Consultation on Mental Health, Sport, Trauma-Informed Care & Re-Entry to Play
“Doc Wayne’s approach to mental health is incredibly novel and effective,” said Brian Bilello, member of the Board of Directors for Boston Scores, an organization using the platform, and president of Major League Soccer's New England Revolution.
“The evidenced-based reporting certainly substantiates that, but I’ve also witnessed it myself. Given the mental health effects associated with the pandemic, this training couldn’t come at a more imperative time.”
The Champions Network was created with the vision of making sport-based mental health services accessible to all youth by empowering coaches, clinicians and teachers to use sport therapeutically. It is founded on Doc Wayne’s award-winning programs, which take place in a gym or on a field (now virtual) versus a clinical setting, where clinicians known as coaches engage with youth ages 5-18. This approach fosters openness, trust and enables the development of new skills and learning teamwork, with the benefits of physical activity.
Doc Wayne created The Champions Network with the vision of making sport-based mental health services accessible to all youth by empowering coaches, clinicians, and teachers to utilize sport in a therapeutic manner.
The new platform aims to extend Doc Wayne’s reach across the country and globe, connect and support community leaders facing challenges around mental health through the language of sports and professionalise sport-based therapy.
“While we’ve consistently had inquiries about our model and training over the years, unsurprisingly, the number has escalated dramatically as the impact of COVID-19 on mental health has taken hold,” said David Cohen, CEO of Doc Wayne.
“Organizations from as far as Namibia in South Africa, where access to mental health clinicians can be limited, have reached out to us. We’re glad we can now be an ongoing resource for them. Furthermore, we look forward to releasing a formal sport-based therapy certification program in 2021.”
Doc Wayne is a proud member of the Stay In the Game Network. Learn more and join us.