Over 500 student-athletes, parents and coaches stood in the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, chanting “I am lovable and capable” on Wednesday night.

“It was amazing and they were so engaged,” local psychiatrist Alan Ludington said. “It was amazing. Wonderful.”

Ludington was the one who had instructed the crowd to stand and shout the affirmation. He and other experts joined together to break down mental health stigmas in a positive way at “Together for Mental Health,” an event hosted by Katie’s Save and the Sarah Shulze Foundation.

Katie’s Save was founded by the family of Katie Meyer, a standout Newbury Park High and Stanford soccer goalie who died by suicide three months prior to college graduation in 2022. The Sarah Shulze Foundation was created by the family of Sarah Shulze, a star cross country runner at Oak Park High and University of Wisconsin who also died by suicide in 2022.

The families of Meyer and Shulze were brought together by grief and both mothers had begun to meet regularly for coffee and share their feelings. It was at one of these meetings that the idea for Together for Mental Health was born.

The Together for Mental Health event is packed. Katie’s Save and the Sarah Shulze Foundation went all out for tonight. pic.twitter.com/E2DD4TNLmH

— Haley Sawyer (@haleymsawyer) September 21, 2023

Parents, coaches and athletes were regularly asking them what they can do to support the mental health of student-athletes. The two families wanted to create an event that would serve as a place to start conversations and give people the tools to care for the minds of young athletes.

“High schoolers need to hear this message,” Scott Shulze, father of Sarah, said. “We lost our daughter to suicide and this death might have been preventable.”

The NCAA reported in 2022 that 69% of women’s sports participants and 63% of men’s sports participants agreed or strongly agreed that they know where to go if they experience mental health concerns, but less than half of participants — both women and men — said they felt comfortable seeking support from a mental health provider on campus.

ESPN college basketball analyst Sean Farnham, whose daughter plays soccer and was mentored by Katie Meyer, hosted the event. Victoria Garrick Browne, a former USC volleyball player who battled anxiety and depression, joined him for a question and answer session to begin the night.

Garrick Browne struggled to balance volleyball, college and life in her freshman year at USC. She suffered performance anxiety as a result, afraid her coach would play her, teammates wouldn’t trust her and that her parents would worry.

After weeks of Googling phrases like “athlete depression” and “why don’t I like my sport anymore,” Garrick Browne disclosed her emotions to a teammate, who encouraged her to take advantage of the free mental health services that USC offered. She learned coping skills from the therapist.

“Just because you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel doesn’t mean it’s not there,” Garrick Browne said.

Dr. Carrie Hastings, team psychologist for the Los Angeles Rams and Angel City FC, offered insight into what she discusses with the professional athletes she works with. She said that athletes can often attach themselves to an outcome, which increases their likelihood of feeling like a failure.

She emphasized that sports don’t last forever, so it’s important for athletes to stay curious about themselves and other interests. That way, the athlete still has a sense of purpose after their sports career ends.

Hastings advocates for mental health wellness to be incorporated into every sports season because research has shown that total wellness enhances athlete performance.

Brandon Alexander, Westlake High’s girls flag football coach and former football player, thinks vulnerability could be key.

“It doesn’t have to be, ‘You’re tough. You’re a football player, you’re a soccer player, you’re a basketball player,’” he said. “We’re human at the end of the day, right? So giving us the space to allow ourselves to show those emotions, I think it’s healthy for the game of sports across the world.”

Alexander brought many of his flag football players to Together for Mental Health. They sat alongside other area teams, some of which wore their jerseys in unity, as well as parents and coaches from myriad high schools. Representatives from Cal State Northridge were also in attendance.

Ludington, the Conejo Valley psychiatrist, titled his presentation “Our Town.” He’s visited many high schools in the area after students had died by suicide and held parents as they cried and questioned what had happened.

Student-athletes have many external factors in their lives, he said, and are constantly reminded of pressures like athletic performance, SAT prep, college choices and the sacrifices that their parents make for them.

“When all that matters is external, and what is external is taken away,” he said, “life collapses and we implode.”

Conejo Valley psychiatrist Alan Ludington has the entire crowd repeating the affirmation “I am lovable and capable” pic.twitter.com/DQsSZIbMa0

— Haley Sawyer (@haleymsawyer) September 21, 2023

Ludington teared up at the start of his presentation, but ended the night by quoting Jesse Jackson’s affirmation: I am lovable and capable. He challenged the audience to repeat it in the mirror every morning as an internal action against external pressures.

“It’s very courageous,” Ludington said of the event. “Some families threaten to sue if we talk about this in public because it’s such a cloistered event. It’s a shame-based event for some of these people. The Meyers and the Shulzes, the courage to do what they’ve done is really very amazing and helpful.”

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