Enhancing mental health care

Springfield College Department of Counseling gifted a $3.29 million grant.

___ By Sean Savage ___ @SeanSav13

ors on Alden Street and strengthen returning counselors.

“What is extremely important when you are working in a community like Springfield and Holyoke is for students who see counselors who represent themselves,” Paige said. “It is important for repertoire, trust and building a community that is really beneficial for the students and families to see.”

Secondly, the local school’s aspect is to create a pipeline by working with particular students who want to get into a helping field – from mental health inclinations to becoming a school counselor or rehab counseling.

“We will provide them with a little bit of mentorship,” Paige said. “We will show them what it will look like coming from high school to here for their masters and help them find a path to bring them back to Springfield College.”

Coupled with this, the

Department of Counseling will add Spanish courses to bring in more linguistically diverse counselors.

“A lot of the families we work with in Springfield and Holyoke are Spanish-speaking. If we can train Spanish-speaking counselors here at Springfield College, it is only going to be a benefit,” Paige said.

The grant will also aid in the department reaching out to a community of people that would otherwise not have been able to come to Springfield – for financial and other outlying reasons. The grant lets the department offer money for students to return to Springfield despite a few rocky financial years due to COVID.

“The program is incredibly strong, taught by really brilliant professors who are in the field and get the work, and getting this grant and having additional funding to reach that group of people is just super important,” Paige said.

The grant also is a testament to the closeknit community the Department of Counseling strives to be.

Johnny Danahey, a 2021 Springfield College graduate, received funding through the grant.

“It was spectacular in providing an opportunity for our education and supporting us financially,” Danahey said. “It was not only a help from the counseling program, but also it gave us the opportunity to be set up with more success.”

Danahey was a grad fellow for the Physical Education program but then realized he wanted to become a school counselor following graduation in 2021.

“What made me want to come to the counseling program was so I could support students in a way that a normal teacher could not,” Danahey said. “One thing that is interesting about being a school counselor is the ability to be able to advocate for students no matter where.”

Danahey also commented on the achievement of Springfield College being the only institution in Massachusetts to be awarded the grant and beyond.

“It shows that the counseling program wants to give back to the community and shows that humanics aspect that the college solely lives by,” Danahey said.”But also to show that we will have people readily available to provide that trauma and crisis-based lens to the community of Springfield and provide that special support,.”

The grant will allow the department to build a more robust, safer and diversified community.

“We were given an opportunity to be more than what we thought we could be,” Danahey said. “It is very rewarding internally as a person –it has changed me as a person in finding care for people.”

McAllister continued from Page 4 fastest ways to get a job in sport,” McAllister said. “So I was advising the club, I was working with students, I was teaching the event management class and I was like, ‘We got to pull all this together.’”

But he knew it would come down to the students being invested. And it’s the early students who laid the foundation for what now has become a thrilling experience.

“A couple of students and I kind of slotted up a couple of ideas and then evolved them,” McAllister said. “And now it’s almost institutionalized in our depart-

AT Training

continued from Page 5 sometimes a psychological issue can be directly related to the symptoms an athlete might be experiencing,” Hewitt said. ment. You know you’re coming in as a first-year student and you’re going to be involved in a five-day basketball tournament that’s shown on ESPN.”

Over the course of six days, more than 80 students volunteer their time to run the Hoophall Classic. The planning process starts in September, as there is a head supervisor selected by McAllister and Heather Gilmour – who is taking over as department chair next year. Then, there are 14 supervisors who start planning out the event.

And don’t just take it from McAllister himself, his students can attest to the importance of working the event.

Hewitt learned a love for the training profession from his godfather, who received a degree from Springfield. Routine visits to see him at work only increased his intrigue about becoming an athletic trainer.

“I think it’s great because not a lot of schools get to work such a large event,” said junior Joe Manning, who worked as an advisor at the 2023 Hoophall Classic. “I think one of the main skills that you learn is being a professional –it’s one thing to say you are professional but actually learning that skill is huge because that’s what you’re gonna need in this industry.”

From the moment McAllister stepped on the campus of Springfield College, he has tried his best to make a lasting impact on students and make the sport management program a great experience. And now, as his final year winds down, he is content with the legacy he has left.

Hewitt certainly wants to make his impact in mental health care, as he plans on attending graduate school to further his education in Sports Psychology here at Springfield College.

“I cannot thank the school enough for this opportunity,” McAllister said. “I love seeing where we are and can’t wait to see what more they do with the program. I have absolutely no regrets.”

The importance of off-the-field health can be seen in another senior project that focuses on how much sleep each athlete gets and whether or not it affects their health and performance. Christian Sonnergren is researching a healthy night’s sleep and its numerous benefits.

Although countless studies have been done on poor sleep quality, Sonnergren adds a new facet by testing and analyzing the ramifications of an athlete’s reaction time.

“I’m testing the effects in real-time and in games. This is the best way to discover the connection between the two,” Sonnergren said.

These projects are all examples of pioneering medical practices and knowledge in athletic training, and all three seniors praised the forward-looking direction of the program.

“Everything from the opportunities to the hands-on teaching makes the program truly special,” Sonngregren said.

With manuscripts being written and reviewed during the fall semester, the senior research projects are currently in the data collection phase. A presentation about their findings will be held on April 30.

Jade O’Connor

Jade O’Connor won this edition’s Springfield Student Women’s Athlete of the Week with 31.9 percent of the vote. The graduate midfielder for the women’s lacrosse team combined for 14 goals in the Pride’s three victories this past week, including eight and an overtime game-winner against WestConn on Sunday.

Right behind her was Gillian Kane with 29.8 percent of the vote. The graduate pitcher for the softball team combined for 14 innings in two complete games while only allowing one run and seven hits. She also struck 13 batters out and earned the win in both games she pitched.

Gwen Anderson was the third

Nathan Kelleher-Mochak

The winner of this edition’s Springfield Student Men’s Athlete of the Week was Nathan Kelleher-Mochak with 64.8 percent of the vote. The first-year pitcher for the baseball team combined for 5.1 innings with one run and four hits allowed along with six strikeouts this past week.

Kevin Tierney was runner-up with 23.2 percent in the poll. The senior attack for the men’s lacrosse team combined for five goals and two assists in the Pride’s pair of games this past week.

Behind Tierney was Rece Gobel after a solid pair of showings over the weekend. The senior mid-distance runner for the men’s track and field team set a personal record and finished first in the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:05.89 at the AIC Yellowjacket Invitational. He also finished first in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:56.62 on Saturday. vote-getter with 23.4 percent in the poll. The junior sprinter for the women’s track and field team finished second in the 100-meter sprint with a time of 12.77 seconds, and was part of the 4x100 group that finished first at the AIC Yellowjacket Invitational on Saturday.

Daniel Criscio rounded out the vote after putting together a good weekend in field events. The junior thrower for the men’s track and field team finished first in the javelin throw with a distance of 53.54 meters at the AIC Yellowjacket Invitational. He also set a personal record in the discus throw with a distance of 33.21 meters on Saturday.

Be sure to follow @TheSpfldStudent on Twitter to vote in the next poll!

Rounding out the vote was Christa Carr after putting together a solid performance at the same event. The senior thrower for the women’s track and field team finished first in the shot put with a distance of 11.35 meters at the AIC Yellowjacket Invitational on Saturday.