ABSTRACT
Since the suicide of the German national football goalkeeper Robert Enke in 2009, there has been an increasing effort in Germany to provide adequate support for elite athletes concerning their mental health. From both a theoretical and an applied perspective, the field of sport psychology supports the notion that mental health is associated with personality development and is ultimately the basis for optimal performance in elite sport. The field of sport psychology significantly contributes to the promotion of athletes’ mental health by helping to develop athletes’ mental resources to deal with the demands associated with elite sport. In Germany, there are several applied initiatives that provide support for elite athletes with regard to their mental health. This chapter describes two examples, the initiatives mentaltalent and MentalEmpowerment, which aim to systematically structure and provide sport psychology services in order to promote mental health and are located at the German Sport University Cologne (GSU). If an athlete subsequently requires referral to psychotherapeutic or psychiatric care, MentalEmpowerment also provides contact to specialized experts and appropriate therapy. This chapter additionally gives an overview of how different professions collaborate within the aforementioned German initiatives and how these processes can be improved in the future.
