Unlock Your Potential: Join the Otterbein Mental Fitness Community for Student-Athletes!

Welcome to a game-changing initiative dedicated to elevating your mental fitness. Say hello to the "Otterbein Mental Fitness Community," where student-athletes come together to conquer challenges, cultivate resilience, and connect to their inner potential.

Questions? Contact:
Dr. Greg Lott
Director of Athletics
lott3@otterbein.edu

What, When, Why, How, Where: The Mental Fitness Community Program

What

Our Mental Fitness Community is not just a club; it’s a transformative journey designed exclusively for student-athletes. This virtual haven on Zoom is your key to exploring essential life skills, enhancing performance, and navigating the unique pressures of sports and college life.

When

Every session is a compact, bi-weekly, one-hour commitment, making it easy to squeeze into your busy schedule. Engage, learn, and grow without the stress of lengthy time commitments.

Why

Because mental fitness matters. Our community equips you with the tools to manage stress, boost performance, and foster a resilient mindset. It’s not just about excelling in sports; it’s about conquering life’s challenges with confidence and composure.

How

Joining is as easy as a click. Sign up, log in, and immerse yourself in engaging lectures, breakout discussions, and reflective exercises. Tailored content, led by Counseling, Sport and Performance Psychologist, Dr Steve, ensures you get the guidance you need.

Where

From the comfort of your home! Zoom links, resources, and session schedules are all conveniently accessible on our user-friendly website.

Why Sign Up? The Benefits Await

Convenience and Flexibility

  • Attend from home, eliminating travel hassles.
  • Join sessions with ease, accommodating your busy lifestyle

Peer Engagement and Support

  • Connect with like-minded athletes, sharing experiences and strategies.
  • Build a supportive community that understands the challenges you face.

Customized Learning

  • Tailored content chosen by your peers.
  • Personalized strategies for enhanced mental resilience and focus.

Life Skills Development

  • Acquire valuable skills applicable beyond sports.
  • Stress management, goal setting, and effective communication for a well-rounded you.

Enhanced Performance

  • Boost confidence, concentration, and composure on and off the field.
  • Apply mental training techniques for peak performance.

Access to Professional Guidance

  • Tap into sport and performance psychology expertise.
  • No need for one-on-one consultations; it’s accessible to all.

Long-Term Mental Health Benefits

  • Develop coping mechanisms for a resilient, balanced future.
  • Invest in your mental well-being beyond your athletic career.

Ready to take the first step toward mental fitness and success? Attend a session, and let’s embark on this transformative journey together!

 

  Mental health for student-athletes has always been a very important issue to me. As someone who really struggled with such issues in the past, it’s so amazing to see the university take initiative. Having Dr. Steve come in and bring such fun and positive energy on the first day really set a tone. I think Otterbein is doing something unique and empowering for all their athletes by creating this program. 

Annie Casper ‘25
– Volleyball

I really enjoyed what Dr. Graef had to say, because his content is very relatable and he knows how to keep us engaged. He brings up interesting topics and gives us insightful ways to strengthen our mental health. I believe this program will be very beneficial to the Otterbein student-athlete population and allow us to have a space where we can take our mind off certain distractions or mental barriers.”

Max Latkovski ’25
– Baseball

Ready to Take the Next Step Toward Mental Fitness and Success?

Attend a session, and let’s embark on this transformative journey together!

CURRENT SCHEDULE

Sessions will be held on the following dates from 7:00 p.m. to about 8:30 p.m. EST. To register, please select a Zoom session below:

     

    As a staff, we are very excited about our new Mental Fitness Community program. Student-athletes today are more aware of mental health and more willing to share their own needs. This program gives us the tools we need to guide young people to a healthier mindset for participation in sport and competition.

    Brandon Koons
    – Head Women’s Soccer Coach

    The athletics department and fellow coaches were all really excited to have Dr. Graef speak to our athletes… and he did not disappoint! He was extremely engaging and we are all looking forward to working through his mental fitness program. There is so much good information on mental health and it can become a bit overwhelming. It’s crucial that our kids have the right tools to navigate the mental health field. Dr. Graef will certainly help us continue giving our student-athletes the support they need on/off the playing surface… while growing as coaches.

    Brian Booher
    – Head Golf Coach

    WHO IS DR. STEVE?

    Dr. Steve is a licensed and board certified counseling psychologist with specialized expertise in sport and performance psychology. Having been a former football player at The Ohio State University, he understands firsthand the mental, physical, and emotional requirements necessary to perform at a high level. After graduation, he attended the University of Akron where he received his PhD in Counseling Psychology and crafted his educational and applied capacity to help individuals and teams harness mental fitness.

    Fast forward 10+ years, he has honed this skillset through various endeavors – as a professor and researcher of psychology, college Dean, national presenter, University sport psychologist, leadership consultant, entrepreneur, golf caddy, singer/songwriter, and more.

    So whether you are an athlete, artist, entrepreneur, or executive, the ability to manage stress and leverage the mental aspect of performance is paramount in pursuing the quest of reaching one’s fullest capacity. Though we can cover a lot of ground on our own, sometimes it’s value-added to have a side-kick supporting the journey along the way.