EASMH concludes the first training course on mental health for sports professionals
EASMH successfully concludes the first training course on mental health for sports professionals
ECOS and partners, within the activities of the EASMH project, have created the first training course with a basic knowledge on mental health for sports coaches. The course is a real innovation, since the project consortium has made for the first time a specific training path to allow sports professionals to follow people with mental disorders in practicing regular sports and physical activities, with a clear methodology including objectives, tasks and monitoring tools to evaluate the impact.
After an online theoretical course delivered by psychiatrist and professor Gaia Sampogna from University of Campania “Vanvitelli” and accessible through this link, 8 coaches from UK, Italy, Finland and Romania met in Brussels for an in presence session and then started a practical training with pilot actions involving a total amount of around 50 psychiatric patients in their local communities.
The pilot actions ended at the beginning of 2023 and all data collected during the implementation were collated in a report.
On the 27th of October, the coaches involved in the EASMH project made a final exam to get a certification issued by the training provider Eurethics ETSIA, validated by ECOS and recognized in all EU countries with the 4th level within the European Quality Framework.
Such certification will allow the coaches who will pass the exam to create and implement sport-based rehabilitative paths for people with mental health problems.
The evaluations are currently ongoing and the results will be released in few days.
ECOS and the EASMH consortium are planning a further training course in 2024 for all European sports professionals interested in promoting and actively implementing the importance of sport and physical activity for mental health.