Mental Health Support for College Athletes
Onrise partners with NCAA programs at every level to give student-athletes immediate access to peer support, licensed clinicians, and 24/7 crisis care — all without adding full-time staff headcount.
Trusted by NCAA Programs Including
Built for Every Decision-Maker in Athletics
Whether you're a pro sports executive, AD, counselor, or trainer on the sideline — Onrise fits your workflow.
Athletic Directors
This is yours to solve. Here's the cost of not solving it.
What they care about
- →Low utilization of existing resources
- →Coaches absorbing unmet mental health needs
- →Risk accumulating quietly — until it isn't
- →"Will athletes actually use this?"
How Onrise helps
You probably already have something in place. The problem isn't access — it's that athletes aren't using it. Traditional models have high dropout rates and low engagement. Onrise is built differently: peer-first, immediate, and private outside your organization. Not more resources. A system that actually works.
This is not about adding resources. This is about having a system that works.
Pro Sports Org Executives
Protect your investment. Protect your people.
What they care about
- →Player availability & performance continuity
- →CBA compliance & duty of care
- →Confidentiality at the professional level
- →Preventing crisis from becoming headlines
How Onrise helps
Professional organizations carry enormous reputational and financial risk when player mental health isn't proactively managed. Onrise provides the full spectrum — peer support from retired pros who've been in the locker room, licensed clinicians, and 24/7 crisis coverage — all designed to meet the standards of elite sport.
Elite Youth Athletic Directors
Develop the whole athlete, not just the player.
What they care about
- →Duty of care for minors
- →Parent trust and transparency
- →Burnout and early specialization pressures
- →Identifying issues before they escalate
How Onrise helps
Elite youth athletes face immense pressure at increasingly young ages. Onrise provides age-appropriate peer support, licensed clinical access, and staff guidance — giving your program the infrastructure to support athlete development holistically and protect your organization's duty of care.
Athletics Counselors & Sport Psych Staff
A pressure-release valve, not a replacement.
What they care about
- →Clinical quality & continuity
- →Avoiding care fragmentation
- →Managing waitlists and overload
- →Clear referral pathways
How Onrise helps
Onrise operates as supplemental capacity with defined escalation criteria, documentation practices, and warm handoffs — so your team can focus on higher-acuity work.
Athletic Trainers (ATCs)
The training room for the mind.
What they care about
- →Fast access for athletes in distress
- →Clear crisis pathway
- →Simple referral workflow
- →No added admin burden
How Onrise helps
The workflow is straightforward: refer → athlete gets confidential access → we handle triage and escalation. You get a clear, non-PHI confirmation loop. No complex vendor management.
Just like the athletic training room — you don't send every athlete straight to a surgeon. You start with a trusted first stop, triage, and escalate when needed.
Counseling Center Directors
Supplemental capacity with clear governance.
What they care about
- →Clinical governance & liability
- →Wait times and access gaps
- →Avoiding duplication
- →FERPA/HIPAA boundaries
How Onrise helps
Onrise extends campus counseling with athlete-specific access and after-hours coverage. We provide governance docs, escalation protocols, and warm handoffs so this functions as supplemental capacity — not a silo.
"Onrise is the most utilized resource that we have for our student-athletes. It has made the most impact in the least amount of time."
Questions We Hear Often
Straightforward answers from our team.
Why Athletic Departments Choose Onrise
NCAA Compliant
Fully aligned with NCAA mental health best practices and sport science guidelines.
All Divisions Supported
Purpose-built support for D1, D2, D3, and NAIA programs of any size and budget.
Measurable Outcomes
Track utilization, clinical improvements, and ROI with our built-in reporting dashboard.
Unique Pressures Facing NCAA Student-Athletes
Student-athletes face demands unlike any other college population — intense training schedules, academic pressure, travel, public scrutiny, and the ever-present pressure to perform.
- Academic pressure alongside sport demands
- Fear of losing scholarships or playing time
- Transition from high school to college sport
- Social isolation due to practice schedules
- Injury and rehab without identity support
- Post-eligibility transition out of sport
The Biggest Donations in Higher Ed Are Going to Healthcare. College Athletics Should Pay Attention.
Donors increasingly want to see how their gift improves human outcomes and relieves suffering. Athlete mental health services have long been viewed as a compliance obligation — but donor behavior is beginning to tell a different story.
Healthcare philanthropy is tangible. Families understand it. Alumni understand it. Boards understand it. Donors can see lives improved, crises prevented, students retained, and futures protected.
An athlete mental health initiative is not simply an operational line item. It can become a powerful advancement story — one that resonates with former athletes, parents, healthcare leaders, and mission-driven philanthropists. And it may free up budget for everything else your program needs.
Recent Major Gifts in Higher Ed Healthcare
"In many ways, athlete healthcare may become one of the most important fundraising narratives in the next era of collegiate athletics."
Support Your Student-Athletes Today
Join 45+ organizations covering 31,000+ athletes with the mental health support they deserve.