- CSPPA and We.Care has launched a mental health program for Counter-Strike players
- A dedicated psychologist will be available should players need professional help
- The program's goal is to help professional esports athletes deal with severe stress
The Counter-Strike Professional Players' Association has collaborated with We.Care for a program that prioritizes players' mental health.
Together Against Stress
Sports take a toll on the athletes. The constant struggle surrounding competition and training can really tire one's body and mind. In the same way as their bodies, sports athletes' spirit is always put to the test. Esports is no exception.
The Counter-Strike Professional Players' Association and Danish online therapy service We.Care has long observed that and will now be working together on a health program for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players. The program will help all CSPPA players who are experiencing severe stress or feel burned out by providing them with a dedicated clinical psychologist. The latter will be constantly available for a message or video chat and will give those in need guidance on how to relieve mental stress.
FunPlus Phoenix's rifler Martin “STYKO” Styk, who's a board member of the CSPPA, commented in a release:
“When it comes to mental health issues, CS:GO players are particularly exposed to such issues because of the stress of our busy tournament and practice schedules. So, this mental health program is completely online driven and flexible according to the players' demands.”
Each year numerous professionals retire or go on breaks because of how tiring esports can be. Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth, Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander and Olof “olofmeister” Kajbjer Gustafsson all had to take breaks last year in order to be able to cope. Olofmeister has also previously spoken on issues within the CS:GO ecosystem.
Mental Stress in Sports and Esports: Not so Different
We.care's profound understanding of the stress present in professional sports will be crucial to solving the problem at hand. The company's founder, Linisha Palm, compared esports athletes to athletes from traditional sports. According to her, the mental impact isn't that different between the two, with people from both sports and esports experiencing the same symptoms.
“CS:GO players are not too different from other elite athletes in terms of how their minds play a part in their performance. So, our therapists have an elite sports background making them able to truly understand what kind of pressure CS:GO players are under. At the same time, though, CS:GO is a unique discipline with rigorous training programs that can take a toll on anyone,” Palm said.
We.Care have experience with athletes from the various field so there is no doubt their help will be much appreciated by tired players.
CSPPA and We.Care has partnered before. In February, they released a collaborative video that explained what burnout is.
It is important to not only tend about the ecosystem as an industry but about the players as individuals as well. Good health equals a better performance as Jarod Ericksen told Esports Grizzly in an interview. In a similar collaboration, 100 Thieves' CEO Nadeshot collaborated with Excedrin to propagate a healthier lifestyle for players.
