Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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"It's not a label anymore," Spielman said of mental illness. "To me, it shows a sign of courage when you reach out to the experts that you need some help, whether it's dealing with anxiety, or this issue or that issue. It's a sign of courage that you're willing to step up and get the help that you need.
"If a player gets an ankle injury or someone has a pulled hamstring, you go immediately to the training room, to the doctors, to try to get that healed as quickly as you can so you can get back on the field," he added. "There should be no reason why mental health shouldn't be looked at and taken with the same approach."
Miller echoed Spielman's sentiments, using a similar analogy.
"It's important for us to provide resources for our staff members across the board," Miller said. "we provide medical and dental insurance, and we want people to be happy and healthy and successful in their roles and also in their lives. And mental health is one component of that."
The Vikings offer a variety of mental health resources that can be utilized by players, coaches and staff.
These resources include an in-house clinical psychologist, Brownell Mack, PsyD, LP; an in-house clinical psychiatrist, Larry Young, M.D.; and a sports psychologist. These individuals are regularly on-site at TCO Performance Center throughout the week and also are available on a 24/7 emergency basis.
The Vikings organization provides all staff and their families with free access to a confidential employee assistance program that offers phone-based counseling, as well as limited face-to-face counseling.
Players also have regular access to Executive Director of Player Development Les Pico, who oversees the department that offers ongoing off-the-field assistance to players and their families. Pico additionally leads the rookie success program.
"It's becoming more acceptable and actually encouraged – we encourage everybody in this building, not only our athletes but everybody, to have a mental health [care] system in place here," Spielman said. "And that starts from our ownership on down giving us the resources to have those professionals in place.
"I think it's made a huge difference in our organization," Spielman added. "I know it's a big initiative from the NFL league office, how they're [prioritizing] mental health, so we're trying to be a part of that."