How Emily Klueh Has Turned to Mental Health Role in Post-Athletic Career
“Do you have one more lap in you?”
“Do you have one more rep in you?”
In the sport of swimming, we are constanrly asked, whether by ourselves or our coaches, to push ourselves to the limit. The questions are made to ensure we’re putting in the hard work to be successful. But one question, one which can be equally helpful, often goes unasked in these same environments: “How are you feeling?”
Mental health research has become a serious focus across all sports during the past decade. The U.S Center for Disease Control has deemed a “mental health crisis,” creating more demand than ever. Athletes, according to research, can be at greater risk for mental health struggles, according to a study.
Given these issues, USA Swimming has worked to provide resources for its athletes. In 2023, the organization hired Emily Klueh as its “manager of mental health and emotional wellness.” It was the first time a U.S national governing body had ever hired an in-house mental health professional.
Over the past two years, Klueh and USA Swimming have sought to ensure national team athletes are taken care of, in order to perform to their fullest. Klueh spoke with Swimming World on the growth of the program, the challenges facing today’s athletes, and the ways in which clubs can provide support.
Investing in Success
When Klueh was hired in 2023, it was clear she was a great fit for the job. The reason? Klueh had been through the competitive swimming circuit, facing both the physical and mental pressures associated. Working with famed Michigan sports psychologist Greg Harden, well known for his work with athletes like Michael Phelps and Tom Brady, helped Klueh find her way.
“Greg worked with me as a person who does athletics, not an athlete,” Klueh said. “He really provided a full spectrum of care for what an athlete needs as an individual.”
It’s that same type of support that Klueh has looked to provide to USA Swimming. Through the organization, she works directly with many of the National and Junior National Team athletes as their sports psychologist. All athletes have access to Klueh, and National Team athletes can also utilize one of the 18 other providers covered under the USOPC (United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee) for psychological support, free of charge. National Team athletes can also seek their own licensed professional and have it covered by the committee for free. According to Klueh, it has inspired significant direct change within the USA Swimming community.
“We’ve seen a roughly 36% increase in utilization rate from when I was hired through the first year,” she said. “There’s been such a push from our athletes, based on their needs, and we need to meet that demand.”
A key component of this push from the athletes, Klueh believes, has come from the reduction of the stigma around seeking mental performance help. The psychologist has seen a direct connection between the amount of resources provided, and the willingness of the athletes to utilize accessible resources.
“The more you provide, it removes the barriers of an athlete questioning, ‘Should I use it if needed,’ because it’s available,” she said.
Preventing Youth Pressure
For Klueh, helping top athletes perform has obviously been a huge part of her job. But like with any coach, the development of youth has been equally essential. The psychologist looks to continue to expand the resources offered to the National Junior Team athletes, believing it’s essential to their progress.
“When these kids hit the Junior National stage for the first time, so much pressure and expectation falls heavy on them,” Klueh said. “There’s a lot of imposter syndrome, like ‘if I don’t keep making these teams, I’m no longer good enough.’”
Klueh emphasizes working with these athletes early and often, in order to help them maintain confidence in the sport. But it’s not just the elite young athletes who she believes should receive this help. It’s those surrounding them.
“I think we need to add more resources for parents and coaches to learn strategies to support their children,” Klueh said. “We can do a much better job providing resources so that they can develop a healthy relationship with their child and their sport, rather than one built around pressure and expectations.”
Klueh has looked to expand in this area, alongside USA Swimming. The organization wants to provide more content and educational sessions informing these adults on how to support their swimmers. In the meantime, she pointed out a mental health certification course called “Mental Health First Aid” as a great resource for these adults.
“It gives a base on how to recognize and talk to people in a mental health crisis,” Klueh said. “For coaches and parents who are struggling with what to say, what to do (for their child), it gives them an option.”
The end goal is simple: Help swimmers develop a love for the sport, outside of pressure from their environment.
“The earlier you can provide intervention for the intensity (of pressure in sports), the better it’s going to be,” Klueh said.
Preventing Pressure For All
The resources provided to National and Junior National team members are a clear boost to their programs. But as Klueh pointed out, these athletes aren’t the only ones dealing with mental health struggles. Swimmers who may not be fast enough to be a part of a National Team still face many of the same pressures in their daily lives.
Examples exist of club teams providing mental health staff as a resource. Lakeside Aquatic Club, a large club team based out of Lewisville, Texas, has worked to develop its swimmers by employing “Director of Mental Performance” Jasmine Haas.
Haas works with swimmers across the club’s four sites. She runs a half-hour-long program with each age group daily on various mental skills, offering individual sessions as well. She also employs about 20 “interns” who aid in the effort for the club’s less competitive groups.
Haas, like Klueh, believes the work is essential to a young swimmer’s success.
“With kids, there’s a lack of autonomy (due to their age), and so they don’t know what’s happening to them all the time,” Haas said. “It’s about (teaching them) you can have conversations about what you need with coaches and parents.”
Haas and her team also look to provide resources for parents and coaches at their club. The group has a monthly newsletter in which they inform parents of their work. They also utilize it to give the group guidance on how to support their swimmers. It’s written by the interns, who are largely former swimmers themselves.
“The interns are able to say, ‘Hey, from the athlete’s perspective, this is important to realize,’” Haas said. “They bring an incredibly valuable perspective to the table.”
Can It Be Replicated?
The work Haas has done showcases that these mental health resources can be provided well at the club level. Haas believes that even at club programs less fortunate than Lakeside, a variation of these programs would be both possible and beneficial.
“Even if you can’t afford someone being in-person all the time, there are lots of other options,” she said. “There could be (the use of) a curriculum designed to be run by coaches, or a workshop, or even an internship program, where if they do some virtual sessions, they could learn how to do this on a smaller scale.”
Klueh also pointed to the possibility of smaller, contracted work with local mental health professionals as another potential option for clubs.
“There’s so many providers across the country,” she said. “To be able to work with them on a smaller scale for some programming, or athlete support, would be really valuable.”
Making a Difference
Whether it’s professional athletes, teens on the rise, or even young swimmers, it’s clear that the ability to handle the stresses of the swimming world is essential.
“It’s one of the only sports that doesn’t really have an offseason,” Klueh said. “The lifestyle of a swimmer, in my opinion, tends to be more intense than other sports.”
It’s why USA Swimming plans to continue to expand the resources it provides. Klueh mentioned plans for a new educational program for both National and Junior National Team athletes. The program would help inform them of the various psychological resources offered, and help them learn whether they are in need.
“The hope is just to continue expanding our resources,” she said. “We’re really excited to move forward with more.”
Through continued growth, the organization hopes to continue to reduce the stigma toward pursuing mental health resources. Even without the direct help of USA Swimming, the psychologist strongly believes there’s an avenue for success, similar to what Haas has created at Lakeside.
“There are a lot of easy things people can do,” she said. “It takes a little bit of extra effort, and a little time to fine-tune it, but it’s important to ask, ‘What can we create that works for us.’”
