RESEARCH

THE CCMHS PROJECT

The CCMHS was developed based on extensive research project. Below is a summary with links to the PHD thesis and the articles published from this research.

Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Sport-Focused Mental Health Service Delivery Model Within a Canadian Centre for Mental Health and Sport

The aim of this project was to design, implement, and evaluate a specialized sport-focused mental health service delivery model for competitive and high-performance athletes, integrated within a broader Canadian Centre for Mental Health and Sport (CCMHS). The project spanned three phases during which (a) a sport-specific mental health service delivery model for competitive and high-performance athletes was collaboratively designed by stakeholders (Design Phase), (b) the model was pilot-tested within the CCMHS (Implementation Phase), and (c) the model was evaluated to understand whether practitioners and clients perceived the care delivered or received within the model to be acceptable and appropriate (Evaluation Phase. Overall, the findings of the research project demonstrate that collaborative approaches can be successfully applied in sport to guide leaders in developing and testing novel models to improve the health outcomes of sport participants. The research also shows that an interdisciplinary team of practitioners can successfully deliver sport-focused mental health care that is acceptable and appropriate to clients. Lastly, the project provides data on the first known empirical project to design, implement and evaluate a specialized mental health service delivery model applied nationwide in person and virtually with competitive and high-performance athletes experiencing mental health challenges and symptoms of mental illness.


THANK YOU TO OUR STAKEHOLDERS WHO PROVIDED VALUABLE INPUT DURING THE RESEARCH PROJECT!

Stakeholders provided critical perspectives and competencies across one or multiple phases of the CCMHS Project. Representing coaches, athletes, mental health practitioners, researchers, sport administrators and therapists, these stakeholders had an incredible wealth of experience and knowledge, bringing both breadth and depth to the research team.

Individuals are presented in alphabetical order with their affiliation at the time of the study

Anna Abraham | Registered Psychotherapist | uOttawa Mental Health Coordinator

Roger Archambault | Vice-president of performance services, INS Québec

Lindsay Bradley | Sport Medicine Physician, uCarleton Sport Medicine Clinic

Keana Bush | Youth Athlete |Employee, Lending Hand Smart Mortgage Solutions

Jennifer Bushell | Registered Kinesiologist |Athletic Therapist, 360Centre360

Samantha DeLenardo | Co-Founder and President, SAMHI

Natalie Durand-Bush | Professor, uOttawa School of Human Kinetics | CCMHS Co-Founder

Carla Edwards | Sport Psychiatrist, Synergy Sport + Mental Health

Mario Gaetano | Educator, Ottawa Catholic School Board | Coach, uOttawa

Gary Goldfield | Registered Psychologist | Senior Scientist, CHEO Research Institute

Patrick Grandmaître | Head Coach, uOttawa Men’s Hockey Team

Göran Kenttä | Sport Psychologist, The Swedish Sports Confederation

Zul Merali | President and CEO, Royal Ottawa Hospital IMHR

Paul Noble | Senior Manager, True Sport, Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport

Kevin Rempel | 2013 World Champion and 2014 Sochi Paralympic bronze medalist

Benoit Séguin | Director, uOttawa School of Human Kinetics

Danika Smith | uOttawa Student-Athlete Services and Compliance Officer

Shaunna Taylor | Chair, CSPA | Executive Director, PacificSport Okanagan Sport Centre

Penny Werthner | Dean, uCalgary Faculty of Kinesiology | Advisor, Canadian Olympic Committee

Krista Van Slingerland | PhD Candidate, uOttawa School of Human Kinetics | CCMHS Co-Founder

RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS

Following are select publications pertaining to mental health and sport from members of our team.