Chapter 6: Student-Athletes as a Specialty Population

Student-athletes are rarely labeled as a specialty population; however, this chapter will provide a more holistic picture of a double bind they find themselves in as they often deal with conflicting messages, expectations, and roles of having to be students while also being athletes. The most recent available data from the 2018–2019 academic year indicates that there were 7,937,491 students participating in various high school sports in the United States (NFHS, 2019-website). School counselors often times are not adequately prepared to support this population regarding the unique challenges they encounter during high school athletic careers and as they are preparing for intercollegiate athletics.