Student Athletes' Perceived Barriers to and Preferences for Seeking Counseling

The purpose of this study was to investigate attitudes of intercollegiate student athletes regarding their use of counseling services. The authors assessed student athletes’ perceived barriers to seeking counseling services and their preferred characteristics of a helping professional. Several barriers to counseling were identified. Results suggest student athletes have strong preferences for counselor characteristics, including familiarity with sports, gender, and age. Practical applications of these findings are discussed.