MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University’s new initiative focused on supporting mental health for athletes is highlighted in the March episode of “Out of the Blue,” the university’s television program.

In the fall, the Department of Social Work will launch the new graduate certificate for Sport Social Work.

Show host Andrew Oppmann talked with Department of Social Work lecturer Justin Singleton, who is heading up the graduate certification, and the first student, Kobi Jones.

“Sport Social Work … is a discipline that focuses on the well-being and the overall aspect of the athlete,” Singleton said. “When we talk about mental health, how they show up present in the sport on and off the field, that’s what we focus on.”

The graduate certificate has received strong support from across the profession.

“A lot of people have been doing a lot of work to make sure we get this off the ground running,” Singleton said.

Jones, an MTSU graduate student who is helping pioneer the effort, said her own experiences as an athlete and coach inspired her to support student-athletes navigating challenges on and off the field.

“I just want to be that person, like ‘Hey, I will consistently be here for you, no matter the next season, you don’t have to worry about if I’m going to be here or not. Just know that I will always be here for you,’” said Jones, who is doing an internship working with freshmen football players at MTSU’s Student-Athlete Enhancement Center.

The certificate will be open to students across disciplines and can lead to careers supporting athletes in a range of settings. Jones hopes others will follow her lead.

“My advice is to go with it because Sport Social Work is so brand new, and I’m the pilot,” Jones said. “I’m the pilot, so never let anyone tell you, ‘No, you can’t do this.’ If you want to do it, if you want to pursue it, just do it.”

Watch the segment:

To watch, listen

• “Out of the Blue” is available anytime on the university’s YouTube channel, the True Blue TV channel, Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.

• It also airs on Murfreesboro cable Channel 9 daily at 6 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; NewsChannel5+ at 6:30 p.m. Sundays; WKRN+ at 7 p.m. Thursdays and noon Sundays; and streamed on the MTSU Jazz Network through WMOT.org at 7 a.m. on the first Sunday of each month; and on other cable outlets in Middle Tennessee, so check local listings.

• It is also available as a podcast on iTunes and Google Play and as individual interview segments on Spotify at https://spoti.fi/453hxg3.

Watch previous episodes of “Out of the Blue” at https://mtsunews.com/out-of-the-blue.

— Nancy DeGennaro (Nancy.DeGennaro@mtsu.edu)