Our objective is to improve mental health in competitive sport.

Therefore we offer

• arranging sports psychology support or psychotherapeutic and psychiatric treatment
• further education & events (with our cooperation partners)
• news and best practice (on the website and via our newsletter)
• literature overview and press review
• overview of further training courses & events
• screening measures

for mental health in competitive sport.

Active and former athletes and coaches from competitive sports can find helpful information, events and, if necessary, support and therapy. It is not essential to have active roster status. Performance-oriented competitive athletes are welcome to contact us.

Competitive sport offers great potential for the development and promotion of teamwork, self-image and personality. At the same time, competitive sport not only involves a high level of physical stress, but also a high level of psychological and social stress, which endangers the mental health of athletes and coaches.

These perspectives give rise to two key objectives of the MentalEmpowerment initiative:

Maintain and promote mental health in competitive sport.

Prevent mental problems such as excessive stress, depression or burnout in competitive sports, to recognize them early on and to provide contact persons for the right treatment.

Founded in 2011, MentalEmpowerment is a decentralized institution at the German Sport University Cologne. The initiative consists of the Coordination Office, Steering Group and Advisory Board.

The Coordination Office at the German Sport University Cologne mediates between requests and practical needs as well as the competencies and expertise of the network.

With its expertise, the Steering Group ensures the strategic direction and innovative impetus of MentalStrengthened.

The Advisory Board has a supervisory function over the activities within the framework of the initiative. It ensures the financial support of the initiative and makes recommendations for strategies and future work.

Our network of experts in the fields of sports psychology, psychotherapy and psychiatry provides care or therapy close to home and at short notice. Waiting times are shortened for athletes and coaches who seek help through MentalEmpowerment.

MentalEmpowerment works closely with various partner institutions. Cooperation exists with institutions/organizations that offer professional proximity to the field of “mental health in competitive sports”. Partner institutions can advise the initiative on technical and personnel behalf.

We are committed to the increased and systematic provision of professional sports psychology support and psychiatric-psychotherapeutic services for the field of competitive sport. We provide support based on the latest scientific findings. We also offer multipliers and other people working in the field of competitive sport attractive further education and training opportunities.

Our top priority when dealing with request is the confidentiality of data and information. We guarantee that inquiries will be processed confidentially and will only be passed on within the network or stored by us with your consent. The storage of data is based on the current data protection guidelines.

Inquiry

In order to provide you with the best possible assistance, we will first try to assess your request: Can we help you directly? Do you need an exploratory or consultation meeting? Do we have an expert on hand that we can recommend? Do we need further information from you?

We will then decide on the next steps, such as referring you to an appropriate expert or network of experts. Our experts work closely together so that you receive the best possible help.

Referral

We process your request and find a suitable expert for you - quickly and close to home.

Quality assurance

After a successful referral, we want to know whether you feel in good hands and whether there is anything else we can do for you. This aftercare ensures that our referral was successful and that you are in the best hands.