ABSTRACT

The popularity of sports, particularly at the collegiate level, is strong within American society. The majority of students will likely express interest in sport, either as spectators, participants, or both. School counselors and other school-based counseling professionals have interesting positions within the school system to assist student athletes, but may not always be the first ones to have contact with these individuals because of perceptions about what it may mean for a student athlete to need counseling services if athletics and academics are the primary tasks they need to accomplish. Considering the current state of the United States economy and the ways in which families, communities, and schools are struggling to provide resources for the career, academic, and personal/social goals of students and student athletes, exploring other methods and approaches to working with such students is both a viable and necessary cause.