Purpose
This project is designed to better understand athlete well-being throughout a competitive season, including experiences of connection, support, stress, and being away from home.
What participation involves
If you choose to participate, you will be asked to complete questionnaires at several points during the season. These will include questions about your experiences as an athlete, your relationships and supports, and your emotional well-being.
Participation is voluntary
Taking part is completely voluntary. Choosing not to participate will not affect your relationship with your team, coaches, program, or Cosmos Counselling Clinic.
Withdrawal
You may stop participating at any time without penalty. You may also request that information that can still be linked to you be removed from the study.
Confidentiality
Your responses will be kept confidential. Individual responses will not be shared with coaches, team management, or other athletes. Your information will be assigned a participant code so that responses can be compared across the season without using your name in the research dataset. Your information will remain confidential except where disclosure is required by law or where there is an immediate concern for someone's safety.
Follow-Up and Support
As part of this project, there may be times when someone from Cosmos Counselling Clinic reaches out to you directly. We will contact you if:
-you select “Check in with me” on one of the questionnaires; or
-your responses on the DASS indicate a severe or extremely severe level of distress.
If we contact you, we will offer an opportunity to check in, discuss counselling support, or help you connect with another counsellor or appropriate support if needed. Your individual results will not be shared with your coaches, team/program, or other athletes as part of this follow-up.
Please note, these questionnaires are not monitored as an emergency or crisis service. If you need immediate support, please use local emergency or crisis services rather than waiting for someone from Cosmos Counselling Clinic to contact you.
Use of information
Information from participants will be analyzed together to better understand patterns in athlete well-being. Findings may be used in reports, presentations, educational materials, or future development of athlete well-being supports. Individual athletes will not be identified in these materials.
Questions
If you have questions about the project, your participation, or withdrawing from the study, please contact:
Josh Lockhart, RCC, CCC
Cosmos Counselling Clinic
josh@cosmoscounsellingbc.ca
