Dear Friends,
As part of my Psychology degree, I am completing a placement year with Sporting Chance. I have been with the charity for eight months now and have had the opportunity to work in all departments. Having played Premiership rugby and for the England Under 20's, I have loved the opportunity that Sporting Chance has given me to combine my academic knowledge with my personal experiences in an elite sports environment.
Throughout my placement, I've worked closely with the education department on the build and delivery of sessions in a variety of sports and topic areas. This has included working with both men’s and women’s cricket, Wales women’s rugby team, and academy footballers on the DiSE programme. When creating new content, I can draw on my academic background while also learning a lot from my colleagues who are experts in this field. I enjoy interacting with athletes and connecting with them by sharing my personal experiences.
I am based in our southern office so get the opportunity to see the work of both our triage and residential team. It has been amazing to see and understand the process that an athlete goes through when they reach out for support through Sporting Chance. Shadowing the work in our residential clinic has expanded my knowledge around addiction and general client facing work, providing me with greater understanding that will be useful going forwards as I aim to become clinically qualified. Seeing the professionalism and care that goes into every athlete has helped me truly understand the difference that the charity makes to the lives of others.
In working with our CEO Colin Bland, I have been able to better understand the running of the charity and how Sporting Chance have managed to become the country’s leading provider of mental health treatment and education in sport. It's massively exciting seeing the steps being taken to make this achievement a global one.
Being able to see first-hand the difference Sporting Chance makes every day to the lives of professional athletes has been invaluable. Thank you for being part of a community that will help Sporting Chance to support even more individuals.
Thank you,
Lauren