PCOM’s MAPP program, in partnership with the Philadelphia Union Foundation and their HeadFirst initiative, is about to become a driving force behind youth resilience and flourishing in the world of soccer.
The Happier U program, an adaptation of Dr. Scott Glassman’s Happier You Program at PCOM, blends sports psychology and positive psychology to help soccer players
develop skills to strengthen their overall well-being. The goal is to help teens become
proactive about their mental health on the field and off. Independence Blue Cross
is the founding sponsor, a supporter of many PCOM initiatives that help the community.
As part of the program, participants will develop positive self-talk statements they can use in games and in the classroom, learn mindfulness and relaxation techniques, and identify their personal strengths.
“We teach kids how to get in better touch with the good things in life, how to feel more connected with each other, and how to consistently find strengths within themselves,” Dr. Glassman said.
“We do it in an engaging, interactive way,” he added, “where they can work with their teammates and form new connections in a safe, supportive environment.”
That environment will add a spark of its own, since the in-person sessions of Happier U will take place at Subaru Park, home field for the Philadelphia Union.
Current MAPP students Madeline Schnitzler and Harrison Combs are training to be group facilitators in the program. Schnitzler is an active runner and Combs coaches youth soccer.
“I understand the physical and mental demands that athletes face,” said Schnitzler, “and I believe that positive psychology can be a powerful tool in helping young athletes navigate these challenges.”
Combs echoed that sentiment, saying, “There are so many helpful strategies to maintain good mental health in Happier U that I wish I knew as a young athlete, so I really think this will be a valuable opportunity for these kids.”
The program is designed especially for young athletes between the ages of 13 and 15. This is a vulnerable time in adolescence. Globally, according to the World Health Organization, one in seven 10- to 19-year-olds experiences a mental health disorder.
One of the goals of Happier U is to mitigate the impact of stressful events in an adolescent’s life, preventing distress from reaching the threshold of a disorder.
“This is an opportunity for us to be more proactive about youth mental health, not waiting for a problem to occur before we provide support and resources,” Dr. Glassman said.
The upcoming phase of HeadFirst and Happier U will involve 9 soccer teams. After evaluating and fine-tuning the program further, Dr. Glassman and his facilitation team hope to provide this psychoeducational well-being boost to many more teen soccer athletes throughout the Philadelphia area.
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