Originally published in The LI Herald – Rockville Center / November 28, 2025/
By Alyssa R. Griffin
Susan Hanly gave a presentation on the mental health concerns of student-athletes at South Side High School on Nov. 4. – Courtesy Patrick Maguire
The Rockville Centre school district is changing the way it addresses mental health concerns outside counselors’ offices.
South Side High School held a Mental Health Essentials presentation earlier this month for its coaches, phys. ed. teachers and health staff. Mental Health Collaborative, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Massachusetts, that focuses on building resilient communities through mental health education and awareness, partnered with the district on the workshop, which focused on the signs and symptoms of various mental health issues that may appear in student-athletes.
“It addressed the historical taboo surrounding mental health, and emphasized that communicating mental health struggles is a sign of strength and courage, not weakness,” South Side Athletic Director Patrick Maguire said. “It highlighted that student-athletes often want to isolate, hide and avoid seeking help due to embarrassment, shame and fear of being judged or mocked.”
Susan Hanly, an MHC trainer, led the presentation on Nov. 4.
“One in five individuals are going to have a mental illness in their lifetime, and 50 percent of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin before age 14,” Hanly said. “So you think about coaches who are in this really excellent position to make a difference in the life of children by keeping their eyes wide open, and maybe seeing some signs and symptoms that others didn’t see.”
The presentation included several components in which coaches learned strategies for identifying athletes who may need referrals for mental health support, how to manage mental health on the field and how to maintain their own mental health. The focus included reducing the stigma of mental illness, recognizing the initial symptoms of mental health difficulties and being aware of available resources.
Jeremy Cohen, a phys. ed. teacher and the junior varsity girls’ volleyball coach, said he found the training informative.
“The workshop gave us tools to step up and truly listen,” he said. “It taught us that asking for help is the ultimate sign of strength, and we can help foster that.”
Health teachers also found it useful, including Kerry Figueiredo.
“This training reinforced what we teach in the classroom and, more importantly, gave our coaches the language they needed,” said Figueiredo, “Mental health shouldn’t be a secret — it should be part of the daily conversation we have with our students and student-athletes. This is a huge step in building a positive, supportive culture.”
This was not only Mental Health Collaborative’s first presentation in Rockville Centre, but the first the organization has given in Nassau County.
“Not only is mental illness common — over 50 percent of youth will at some point have a mental illness, and 75 percent of symptoms start before the age of 25,” its founder and CEO, Abbie Rosenberg, said. “But there’s an 8- to 11-year gap from the time someone first experiences symptoms to when they’re diagnosed and treated, and that just leads to much worse outcomes and crises, and a lot of things in this country that probably could be prevented that have to do with untreated mental illness.”
Rosenberg spent decades working as a therapist and psychopharmacologist before creating MHC. After losing a patient to suicide in 2017, she founded the organization in his honor, and in honor of all those, she said, who have suffered in silence and died too soon as a result of their mental health issues.
“Prevention is so key, because all of these people that surround our youth are partners in helping the future of youth,” Rosenberg said. “It’s not the only solution, but it’s a big part of it.”