Oklahoma State University is drawing attention to a distinctive approach to college athlete mental health: assigning a designated mental-health professional to every athletic team.
On October 9, 2026, Oklahoma State Athletics highlighted AIM Health — Athletes for Integrated Mental Health, a specialized behavioral-health program that connects student-athletes with confidential counseling, psychiatric services, performance psychology and coordinated healthcare.
The program is directed by Dr. Kaelyn Lu, a psychiatrist who also serves as Oklahoma State’s head of Sports Medicine – Behavioral Health.
Its defining feature is a team mental-health liaison model, through which each athletic team has an identified professional responsible for education, coordination and helping recognize when additional support may be appropriate.
Rather than expecting athletes to navigate an unfamiliar healthcare system entirely on their own, the model establishes a consistent professional connection within their athletic environment.
The October announcement was a spotlight on an existing program, not the launch of a new service. Oklahoma State has been developing its behavioral-health infrastructure for several years, including Dr. Lu’s appointment to university health services in 2024.
According to the university’s October 9 AIM Health announcement, the program combines mental-health services with sports medicine while maintaining safeguards around confidentiality and student-athlete autonomy.
That distinction matters.
A familiar professional contact could make support easier to find, but the arrangement must also protect an athlete’s right to privacy and access to qualified clinical care.
The central question is whether a team-based liaison system can help colleges move beyond simply making services available toward making those services understandable, approachable and consistently accessible.
Oklahoma State’s AIM Health Uses A Team-Based Support Model
AIM Health is designed specifically for Oklahoma State student-athletes, whose schedules and responsibilities often differ from those of other university students.
Athletes may balance classes, training, travel, competition, injury recovery and relationships while preparing for professional or academic opportunities after graduation.
These demands do not automatically produce mental-health conditions. However, they can influence when and how an athlete seeks assistance.
Oklahoma State’s approach brings behavioral-health professionals into closer coordination with the athletics department’s existing sports medicine services.
The program includes mental-health assessment and screening, individual counseling, group counseling, psychiatric services, performance psychology, mental-skills education, team workshops and referrals.
Its team liaison model adds a specific organizational structure to those services.
Each athletic team is assigned a designated mental-health professional who serves as a consistent contact for education and coordination.
The liaison can help athletes and team personnel understand available resources and identify situations in which professional support may be appropriate.
Importantly, the university describes the model as preserving individual privacy and autonomy.
A liaison’s presence within a team environment should not mean that every athlete must disclose personal information or participate in counseling.
The arrangement is intended to improve connections to appropriate care, not replace individual choice.
Dr. Kaelyn Lu Brings Clinical Experience To The Program
Dr. Kaelyn Lu is central to Oklahoma State’s behavioral-health efforts.
The university identified her as director of AIM Health in its October 2026 announcement. Its athletics staff directory also lists her as Head of Sports Medicine – Behavioral Health.
Her connection to student mental-health services predates the latest announcement.
On April 5, 2024, Oklahoma State reported that Lu had joined University Health Services as its first psychiatrist specializing in mental-health and addiction concerns.
At that time, she was already working with the athletics department to address the behavioral-health needs of student-athletes.
The university described her experience with children, adolescents and adults, as well as her training in addiction psychiatry and medicine.
According to Oklahoma State’s 2024 profile of Dr. Lu, her work included in-person services at University Health Services and Gallagher-Iba Arena, along with virtual appointments.
Those were the arrangements described in 2024; athletes should confirm current appointment options rather than assuming that earlier schedules remain unchanged.
Lu’s background is relevant because AIM Health combines clinical mental-health services with performance-related education.
Psychiatric care and mental-performance coaching have different purposes, even when both contribute to an athlete’s broader well-being.
The presence of appropriately qualified professionals helps preserve those distinctions.
Oklahoma State’s October announcement also emphasizes collaboration with athletic trainers, physical therapists and sports medicine physicians.
That creates opportunities for professionals to consider different aspects of an athlete’s health while remaining within their respective responsibilities.
Why A Consistent Mental-Health Liaison Could Matter
A university can offer counseling services without every student knowing how to access them.
Athletes may be aware that a counseling center exists but remain uncertain about appointment procedures, confidentiality, provider qualifications or whether a particular concern is appropriate to discuss.
A designated liaison could make those questions easier to address.
Consider a student-athlete returning from a lengthy injury.
The athlete may already know an athletic trainer and physical therapist but have little experience with professional mental-health services.
A consistent liaison could explain the available options and help the athlete understand how to seek additional support.
The same principle could apply to a first-year athlete adjusting to college, a student facing academic uncertainty or someone experiencing difficulties unrelated to sport.
In each situation, the liaison’s value would come from making the support system easier to navigate.
Familiarity may also create opportunities for regular education rather than relying on a single awareness event.
A professional who works consistently with a team can help explain available resources throughout the season and respond to questions as circumstances change.
However, this is a potential advantage of the model, not an established outcome.
Oklahoma State has not published evidence in its October announcement showing that team liaisons have reduced appointment delays, increased treatment participation or improved clinical outcomes.
Those questions require appropriate evaluation over time.
NCAA Research Reveals A Gap Between Awareness And Help-Seeking
National NCAA research helps explain why access involves more than providing a list of counseling services.
In a fall 2021 Student-Athlete Well-Being Study, the NCAA surveyed 9,808 college athletes about their experiences, including mental-health support.
The findings showed that approximately two-thirds knew where to go on campus if they had mental-health concerns.
Yet only 47% said they would feel comfortable personally seeking support from a campus mental-health provider.
The same study found that 56% knew how to help a teammate experiencing a mental-health issue.
These results were summarized in the NCAA’s May 2023 report on college athlete mental health.
The distinction between awareness and comfort is particularly relevant to Oklahoma State’s liaison model.
Knowing that a service exists does not necessarily mean an athlete feels prepared to use it.
The NCAA subsequently surveyed more than 23,000 student-athletes during the 2022–23 academic year.
That later study again identified a gap between having trusted people on campus and feeling comfortable approaching a licensed mental-health provider.
According to the NCAA’s 2022–23 Student-Athlete Health and Wellness Study, academic responsibilities, planning for the future and financial concerns were among the important stressors affecting athletes.
These national findings do not measure the effectiveness of AIM Health or describe Oklahoma State athletes specifically.
They do suggest why institutions may want to examine whether students can move comfortably from recognizing a concern to accessing qualified care.
A familiar team liaison could help address part of that process, provided athletes trust the arrangement and understand their options.
AIM Health Connects Behavioral Health With Sports Medicine
Oklahoma State’s model also reflects a broader shift toward coordinating mental and physical healthcare.
Athletic trainers, physical therapists and sports medicine physicians regularly interact with athletes managing injuries, rehabilitation and training demands.
Behavioral-health professionals address different concerns, including mental-health assessment, counseling and psychiatric care.
These responsibilities can intersect.
For example, an athlete recovering from an injury may experience frustration, uncertainty about returning to competition or changes in daily routine.
Those reactions do not automatically indicate a mental-health disorder.
However, an athlete experiencing persistent distress or difficulty functioning may benefit from evaluation by a qualified professional.
A coordinated system can make it easier to identify appropriate resources without expecting an athletic trainer or coach to make a psychiatric diagnosis.
Oklahoma State describes AIM Health as integrating behavioral-health professionals with its sports medicine providers while maintaining confidentiality safeguards.
The distinction between collaboration and unrestricted information sharing is essential.
Healthcare professionals may need to coordinate aspects of care, but athletes should receive clear information about consent, privacy and the circumstances under which information can be shared.
An integrated service should not turn sensitive mental-health information into routine coaching or performance data.
Mental-Performance Training Is Different From Clinical Treatment
AIM Health offers services addressing both mental health and athletic performance.
The October announcement identifies confidence, motivation, goal setting, managing competitive pressure and maintaining focus as areas covered by mental-skills programming.
Team-based education also addresses communication, trust, shared values and team culture.
These subjects can be useful to athletes who do not have a diagnosed mental-health condition.
Learning strategies for competition preparation or communication is not the same as receiving treatment for depression, anxiety disorders or another clinical condition.
Similarly, a student-athlete with significant psychological distress should not be expected to resolve that concern through motivation exercises or performance coaching alone.
The appropriate response depends on the individual’s needs and the qualifications of the professional involved.
AIM Health’s inclusion of psychiatric services, counseling and referrals creates a structure in which different forms of support can be available.
The important safeguard is that formal mental-health evaluation and treatment remain the responsibility of appropriately licensed healthcare professionals.
This distinction is especially relevant when athletic departments describe mental health and performance together.
The purpose of professional care should not be reduced to helping athletes compete more effectively.
Student-athletes deserve appropriate mental-health support regardless of whether their concerns affect competition, academic work or life outside sport.
Confidentiality Must Remain Central To The Liaison Model
Assigning a mental-health professional to every team creates an important opportunity for familiarity.
It also creates questions about boundaries.
Athletes may wonder whether the liaison reports to a coach, whether counseling conversations remain private or whether requesting an appointment could influence team decisions.
Those concerns should be addressed through clear policies and direct explanations from qualified professionals.
Oklahoma State’s October announcement explicitly emphasizes student-athlete autonomy and confidentiality.
It does not, however, publish every operational detail governing consent, information sharing or individual clinical records.
Athletes should therefore confirm current procedures directly with the program.
The university’s Sports Medicine – Behavioral Health staff directory identifies Lu alongside other behavioral-health professionals, including psychologist Dr. Trevor Richardson and counselors Kevin Andrews, Megan Deitz and Chelsea Turner.
The directory establishes the presence of a broader behavioral-health staff, but it does not identify which professional is assigned to each athletic team.
The essential questions concern how athletes contact their liaison, whether they can request another provider, what information remains confidential and how referrals are handled.
A team-based structure should make professional support easier to access without making athletes feel that participation is compulsory.
Privacy is not a secondary administrative detail.
It is part of the trust that makes healthcare relationships possible.
NCAA Mental-Health Standards Support Qualified Care And Clear Referrals
Oklahoma State’s approach can also be examined through the NCAA’s national mental-health framework.
The second edition of the NCAA Mental Health Best Practices became effective on August 1, 2024.
The framework requires member schools to make mental-health services and resources available in a manner consistent with the NCAA’s standards.
It emphasizes four major responsibilities: creating healthy environments, establishing procedures for identifying concerns, maintaining mental-health action plans and ensuring that formal evaluation and treatment are overseen by appropriately licensed professionals.
The NCAA also calls for psychological-distress screening at least annually using validated tools in consultation with qualified healthcare providers.
Screening does not establish a diagnosis by itself.
A result may indicate that further professional evaluation is appropriate, but it should not be treated as a clinical determination made by coaches or teammates.
The NCAA’s Mental Health Best Practices also emphasize written and rehearsed referral pathways for routine and emergency situations.
Oklahoma State’s liaison model could support these goals by helping athletes understand whom to contact and how different services connect.
However, the existence of a liaison model alone does not demonstrate that every NCAA requirement has been satisfied.
Professional oversight, screening procedures, emergency planning, confidentiality and continuous program evaluation all remain necessary.
Coaches Can Encourage Support Without Becoming Counselors
The role of coaches is another important part of Oklahoma State’s approach.
AIM Health provides educational sessions for coaches and staff addressing emotional intelligence, communication and decision-making in high-performance environments.
This is relevant because coaches can influence how athletes perceive mental-health support.
A coach who speaks respectfully about professional care may help normalize seeking assistance.
A coach who treats emotional concerns as weakness or a lack of commitment may discourage athletes from discussing difficulties.
Neither situation changes the coach’s professional responsibilities.
Coaches are not substitutes for licensed mental-health providers.
Their appropriate role includes understanding available resources, responding respectfully to concerns and following established referral procedures when professional support may be needed.
They should also avoid making assumptions about an athlete’s diagnosis or sharing private information unnecessarily.
For athletes managing injury, deselection or changing competitive roles, support may involve more than returning to a previous performance level.
CPCWA’s article on athletic resilience beyond proving critics wrong examines why athletes benefit from maintaining a sense of identity and purpose that is not entirely dependent on competitive results.
That perspective fits the broader aim of behavioral-health services.
An athlete’s value and eligibility for appropriate care should not depend on playing time, statistics or whether the athlete is currently competing.
Oklahoma State’s Cowboys Care Initiative Has A Different Role
AIM Health is not Oklahoma State’s only mental-health-related initiative.
On August 25, 2025, the university announced Cowboys Care, a campus-wide mental-health initiative led by Angela Hess, the university’s First Cowgirl.
Cowboys Care was designed to connect students, faculty and staff with existing counseling, health, wellness and prevention resources.
Its approach included recognizable ambassadors who could help members of the campus community identify where to seek support.
According to Oklahoma State’s Cowboys Care announcement, the ambassadors were not intended to act as clinicians.
That distinction separates the campus-wide initiative from AIM Health’s designated mental-health professionals working with athletic teams.
Cowboys Care emphasizes approachable connections and awareness across the university community.
AIM Health focuses on specialized behavioral-health services for student-athletes and coordination with sports medicine.
Both approaches may contribute to a broader culture of support, but their responsibilities are not interchangeable.
A peer ambassador can help someone locate a resource.
A licensed clinician can provide professional services within the scope of their qualifications.
Clear boundaries help prevent confusion about what different support roles can and cannot provide.
The Team Liaison Model Raises Important Questions About Access
Oklahoma State’s approach is promising as an organizational model, but its practical effectiveness cannot be established from the October announcement alone.
A designated liaison could make it easier for an athlete to identify an appropriate contact.
Whether that leads to better access depends on several factors.
One is appointment availability.
A familiar professional contact may be useful, but athletes still need timely access to appropriate services.
Another is scheduling flexibility.
Student-athletes often manage classes, travel and competition calendars that make conventional appointment times difficult.
A third is trust.
Athletes need to understand that seeking professional support does not automatically expose private information to teammates or coaching staff.
The fourth is choice.
A student may feel more comfortable speaking with a provider outside the athletics department, and an effective system should account for individual preferences when possible.
Finally, the program needs appropriate evaluation.
Oklahoma State has not released a public comparison showing how many athletes sought care before and after implementing team liaisons.
The October announcement also does not report average appointment wait times, referral completion rates or changes in clinical outcomes.
Those are unanswered questions, not evidence that the program has failed.
They identify what institutions would need to examine before claiming that a particular support model produces measurable improvements.
What Other Athletic Departments Can Learn From AIM Health
The most transferable feature of AIM Health may be its emphasis on consistent professional contact.
Universities do not necessarily need identical staffing arrangements to apply that principle.
A smaller athletic department might establish a clearly identified mental-health contact through its campus counseling center.
Another institution might use a qualified community provider or an appropriately structured telehealth partnership.
The NCAA’s guidance allows schools to organize services according to their circumstances, provided they meet applicable responsibilities for professional care and student-athlete support.
What matters is whether athletes know how to access qualified assistance and whether the process respects their privacy and preferences.
A program should also consider differences among athletes.
A first-year student living away from home may have different concerns from a graduate student completing a final competitive season.
An athlete recovering from surgery may need different resources from someone experiencing academic stress or difficulty adjusting to a new team.
International students, athletes with disabilities and students from different cultural backgrounds may also have distinct preferences or barriers to care.
A consistent liaison should be able to help navigate those differences without assuming that all athletes require the same services.
The most useful institutional question is not simply whether a mental-health professional has been assigned to a team.
It is whether that assignment helps athletes reach appropriate care in a timely, respectful and confidential manner.
Consistent Support Will Matter More Than Program Visibility
Oklahoma State’s October 9 spotlight places AIM Health within a growing national discussion about how universities support student-athlete mental health.
The program’s team liaison model offers a practical response to a familiar challenge: athletes may know that help exists but still feel uncertain about taking the first step.
By assigning a designated mental-health professional to each team, Oklahoma State is attempting to make that first connection more consistent.
The model also recognizes that athletic trainers, sports medicine physicians, mental-health professionals and coaches have different responsibilities within the student-athlete experience.
Its potential strength lies in helping those roles work together without compromising professional boundaries.
The next stage is determining whether the system delivers meaningful improvements in access, continuity and student-athlete confidence.
That evaluation should include athlete feedback, appropriate privacy protections and measures developed with qualified healthcare professionals.
Athletes experiencing persistent emotional distress, significant changes in daily functioning or concerns about their mental health should seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional rather than relying solely on teammates, coaches or performance-training strategies.
For people in the United States experiencing a mental-health crisis, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides free, confidential support by phone, text or online chat. Immediate danger requires emergency assistance.
AIM Health’s most important lesson is not that every college team needs the same organizational structure.
It is that mental-health support becomes more practical when athletes can identify someone qualified to help, understand what services are available and trust that their personal concerns will be handled appropriately.
For Oklahoma State, the continuing test will be whether those connections remain dependable throughout the academic year, across different teams and during the moments when an athlete needs professional care most.
