Coaches Who Care: Changing the Game for Youth Mental Health

Sometimes, the most life-changing moment for a young person isn’t a game-winning goal, landing a competitive scholarship, or earning a shiny gold belt buckle for the first time. Sometimes, it’s the moment an adult chooses to ask one simple question: “How are you, really?”

For many young people — especially in Wyoming, where local sports, clubs, and activities help tie communities together — the adults they see most consistently aren’t just in classrooms or at home. They’re on the field, in the gym, or riding the bus to an away game. The steady presence of a trusted coach can make all the difference when it comes to a young person’s mental health.

At Cathedral Home, we see the power of a caring adult every single day. That’s why we launched Coaches Who Care suicide prevention trainings in 2025, and why we’re bringing them back to Laramie March 23-26 this year.

The Reality: Youth Mental Health Challenges in Wyoming

Across Wyoming and throughout the rural Mountain West, many young people are experiencing significant mental health challenges. We see it reflected in data, surveys, and the real-life experiences that youth and families share with us.

According to Mental Health America, an estimated 7,000 young people in Wyoming experienced serious thoughts of suicide last year, and 10,000 experienced at least one major depressive episode. Behind every number is a young person trying to navigate school, relationships, expectations, and the everyday pressures of growing up.

Stigma around mental health support remains a barrier to care for many youth, especially in rural communities. Asking for help can feel intimidating or even shameful. Because of this, young people often turn first not to a therapist or counselor, but to someone they already trust.

For many, that trusted adult might be a coach or mentor — someone they see consistently, someone who believes in them, and someone they look up to.

Adolescence is a period of rapid emotional and neurological development, which means feelings like anxiety, sadness, loneliness, and stress can feel especially intense. Sports and extracurricular activities can be incredible protective factors against suicide for youth and a healthy outlet for stress. But they can also be spaces where young people experience frustration, disappointment, pressure, or self-doubt, and that's exactly why the adults in those spaces matter so much.

When a coach or mentor is equipped to recognize when something might be wrong and feels confident starting a conversation, those everyday interactions can become powerful moments of care.

Why Coaches Play a Critical Role in Supporting Youth Mental Health

Coaches typically spend hours each week with the young people on their teams, often seeing them just as much, if not more than their family members. Coaches see the highs, the lows, and the quieter moments, too; a player who suddenly withdraws. A student who seems unusually frustrated. An athlete who just hasn't seemed like themself for a while.

Because of this presence, coaches are often among the first adults to notice when something might be off.

Just as importantly, coaches occupy a unique space in a young person’s life as mentors, role models, and trusted adults who push them to grow, support them through setbacks, and celebrate their successes. That relationship, over time, builds trust, making it easier for youth to open up about what’s really going on in their lives.

But knowing how to respond in those moments doesn’t always come naturally. Many coaches care deeply about the youth they engage with but aren’t sure what to say if a player shares that they’re struggling, or how to recognize the warning signs that a young person may need help.

That’s where Coaches Who Care fills a gap.

Through practical, accessible trainings led by our clinical team, Coaches Who Care equips coaches and youth mentors with the tools they need to recognize signs of distress, start supportive conversations, and connect young people with the help they may need. Coaches don't have to be mental health experts or therapists to help — they just need the confidence to show up as the caring adults they already are.

Sometimes, one question or conversation can make all the difference.

What Coaches Who Care is and How it Works

Caring about the young people on your team comes naturally for most coaches. Knowing how to respond when a player may be struggling, however, can feel much less straightforward.

Through Coaches Who Care trainings, Cathedral Home equips coaches, mentors, and other youth-serving adults with practical tools to recognize warning signs of emotional distress, have supportive conversations, and connect young people with resources. Our goal isn’t to turn coaches into mental health professionals. Instead, Coaches trainings focus on helping trusted adults feel more confident and prepared in those everyday moments when a young person might need support.

Participants learn how to identify changes in behavior that could signal a deeper struggle, how to ask thoughtful and direct questions about mental health, and how to respond in ways that are calm and nonjudgmental. They also learn how to help young people access additional resources when professional help is needed. Coaches Who Care sessions are brief (approximately an hour and a half) and engaging, with plenty of time for questions and group discussion.

We saw these trainings make a direct impact in 2025. Post-session surveys showed that after attending Coaches Who Care, most participants reported feeling more confident initiating conversations with youth about suicide and mental health, and better prepared to respond when a child may be struggling.

When more adults in a community feel ready to notice, listen, and respond, those small moments of connection add up to a stronger safety net for young people.

How Coaches Who Care Makes a Community-Wide Impact

While Coaches Who Care is built for coaches, the heart of this initiative is much bigger than sports. It’s about building Wyoming communities where every young person has at least one trusted adult they can turn to.

Research consistently shows that a single caring adult can make a profound difference in a young person’s life. When youth feel seen and valued by the adults around them, they're more likely to reach out for help, develop resilience, and navigate life’s challenges in healthy ways.

That’s why community partnership matters. Schools, recreation programs, nonprofits, faith groups, and families all play a role in creating environments where young people feel safe and supported. When the adults who interact with youth every day have the knowledge and confidence to respond to mental health concerns, the entire community becomes safer.

Programs like Coaches Who Care help turn that shared responsibility into action by empowering the adults already showing up for kids. When caring adults work together, youth don’t have to face their struggles alone.

Get Involved: Register for Coaches Who Care

Every young person deserves at least one adult who notices when something is wrong and helps connect them to support. This year’s Coaches Who Care trainings will take place March 23-26 in Laramie, with multiple session times available to make participation accessible for busy coaches, mentors, and youth leaders. Sessions will be held at the Cathedral Home campus, Laramie Recreation Center, and Laramie High School.

If you work with young people in any capacity, we invite you to join us. Choose the session that works best for your schedule and register at cathedralhome.org/coaches.

Even if you can’t attend yourself, you can still help spread the word. Share the opportunity with a coach in your life, tell a friend who works with youth, or help share the training on social media. The more adults we equip, the stronger the network of support becomes for young people in our community.