Doc Wayne in the News

Doc Wayne Youth Services, a nonprofit innovator and provider of sport-based mental health therapy for youth, has announced that Yvonne Castaneda, LICSW, MSW, CLC, has joined its Board.

WCVB Presents Series of Grants Totaling More Than $260,000 to Five Local, Youth-Focused Nonprofits Marking Channel 5’s 50th Year Serving the Community. WCVB Channel 5 Announces Recipients of its “FIFTY YEARS FUND”, with Doc Wayne as a proud recipient of a $100,000 grant toward our youth mental health work.

A group of students in South Boston got a chance to play alongside members of the New England Patriots organization Tuesday as the Patriots partnered with the Doc Wayne Youth Services program on Mental Health Awareness month programming.

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month in the U.S., we’re highlighting work being done by our partners and network members to improve mental wellbeing through sport. Massachusetts-based nonprofit, Doc Wayne Youth Services, Inc. — a member of our Return to Play Fund Expert Advisory Council — reimagines mental health therapy through the lens of sport to heal and strengthen at-risk youth. With rising national instability and in response to continued gun violence, Doc Wayne Deputy Director Rebekah Roulier, LMHC, shared her thoughts and some tips on helping youth cope with traumatic and violent events.

Solutions that help establish those values often include engaging teenagers in productive activities well before they’re involved in something dubious.

Organizations across the country have attempted to do just that. Here are a few programs that have found measured success.

Doc Wayne Youth Services, a nonprofit provider of sport-based mental health therapy for youth, announced in early February that Shalini Kasida was selected to serve as the organization’s chair of the board of directors.

When it comes to self-care and counseling, there is perhaps no topic discussed more than mindfulness. In fact, there are entire apps dedicated to mindfulness practice, with Calm and Headspace being two of the most well known. Mindfulness is touted as a sort of “cure-all” for all people’s issues. Too stressed? Try mindfulness. Anxious? Depressed? Try mindfulness.

For a kid, traditional therapy may seem intimidating and unapproachable at first, leaving parents and school workers looking for new ways to introduce them to talking with a professional.

We [Ready, Row! USA] met Dr. Ramona Cox at the USRowing Convention, Feb. 3-5 in Atlantic City, where she presented on athlete & coach wellness best practices & sports-based therapy.

Doc Wayne Youth Services (“Doc Wayne”), a nonprofit provider of sport-based mental health therapy for youth, has announced that Shalini Kasida has been selected to serve as the organization’s Chair of the Board of Directors.

In the past decades, great strides have been made to de-stigmatize mental illness and to “normalize” focusing on mental wellness just as much as physical wellness. Authority Magazine started a series featuring leaders influencers and mental health professionals who started an initiative to promote mental health and mental wellness. Some of the experts we interviewed put together some fantastic videos sharing their five tips.

An Interview With Michelle Tennant Nicholson: “As a part of our [Authority Magazine] series about Mental Health Champions helping to promote mental wellness, I had the pleasure to interview Rebekah Roulier, LMHC.”

The pandemic has cast a long shadow over mental. That’s why Boston 25 News is Getting Real about this important issue and looking into possible solutions.

Young people in particular have struggled the last few years.

Doc Wayne Youth Services, a Boston-based non-profit, is using sports to help kids manage anxiety and behavioral issues.

One boy who is in the 5th grade told Boston 25 News, “What I like about sports is we get to play normal and have fun. It makes me control myself and my emotions.”

In honor of World Mental Health Day on October 10, we’re highlighting work being done by our partners to improve mental wellbeing through sport. As part of the Breaking Limits Programme created by Degree – also known as Rexona, Sure or Shield depending on where you are in the world – in partnership with Beyond Sport, Doc Wayne Youth Services has created a new resource.

Kudos to Mayor Michelle Wu and Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission, for creating the much-needed role of chief behavioral health officer for the City of Boston and selecting such an outstanding individual in Dr. Kevin Simon (“Boston’s new mental health czar lays out his goals,” Metro, Aug. 24).

Doc Wayne Youth Services, a Boston-based nonprofit whose sport-based therapy improves mental health, recently welcomed Alisha Greenberg and Frank F. Coulom III to its Board of Directors, bringing its membership to 14.

Studies reveal that youth mental health is positively impacted by team sports; that kids are likely to have less anxiety, depression, withdrawal, social problems and attention deficits.

Growing up in West Hartford, David Cohen could always be found playing sports, whether that be through town leagues or in the streets with his friends.

Exponential growth of Champions Network™ training in trauma-informed and sport-based therapies is helping address the youth mental health crisis.  

The wellness category of Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Awards honors products and services that improve either personal or global well-being, from equipment to apps to consumables. Read about the winner, self-medicating contact lenses that can stop allergic reactions before they start.

The Doc Wayne Foundation is a non-profit organization that aims to reimagine therapy through the lens of sports. With its innovative approach of sport-infused therapy, the organization has helped improve mental health of the students in the greater Boston area since 2002 and has been awarded grants in recent years from the NBC network in support of their contribution.

Youth sport coaches are often parents of the kids on the team, or they volunteer or are paid low wages to coach the team. That doesn’t mean they can’t become part of the support system that is vital for youth athletes.

The wellness category of Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Awards honors products and services that improve either personal or global well-being, from equipment to apps to consumables.

UMass Amherst freshman, Algonquin Regional High School graduate and Northborough resident Sravya Tanikella has utilized lessons learned through a program known as Youth in Philanthropy (YIP) to support continuing work with the Rotary Interact Club. [Her group awarded $5,000 grants to two organizations — Horizons for Homeless Children and Doc Wayne.]

Doc Wayne Youth Services (“Doc Wayne”) —  a Boston nonprofit whose sport-infused therapies improve mental health — along with Bristol, CT-based global sports brand ESPN, and The Village — a Hartford nonprofit dedicated to building a community of strong, healthy families who protect and nurture children — are collaborating to advance mental health initiatives for young people by leveraging the power of sport.

In recognition of National Suicide Prevention Week in the US (Sep 5 – 11), Boston Massachusetts’ first Professional Rugby team, The New England Free Jacks, partnered with Stay in the Game Network member Doc Wayne Youth Services, Inc to leverage sports therapy to support youth and coaches.

Taking steps to prevent and/or address mental health challenges is imperative and can benefit all aspects of one’s life. Today, Stay in the Game Network Member Doc Wayne is sharing some tips that can help us take care of our mental health and wellbeing.

Katharine Grover, director in the Northeast Health Industries Assurance practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers, was appointed to the board of Doc Wayne Youth Services.

A new study found that the mental health of teen girls may have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sage Journals: Journal of Education

“This work was funded by the Sudbury Foundation who has provided [Doc Wayne] support for years. The research was completed in collaboration with Boston University’s Wheelock School of Education. Many thanks to all of our team members, currently here and those who have transitioned on, who assisted with data collection, and those who provided quality clinical services. We’re hopeful that this article will be seen as a contribution of innovation and youth-centered work to the field of school-based mental health services. The vast amount of [Doc Wayne’s] prior published research was on work with youth in residential treatment.” – Rebekah Roulier, LMHC

The Boston NBC and Telemundo stations awarded a combined $315,000 to six local organizations.

Funds will be used by grantees to help them lead changes across our communities. Doc Wayne has been awarded $100,000 from NBC Universal.

Adults have long appreciated the mental health benefits of mindfulness. A recently published study in the International Journal of Spa and Wellness has demonstrated that there are positive impacts for children aged 9-12 too when teachers deliver school-based mindfulness interventions. Maggie Yuan, ED.D., LMHC, is the Program Director for Doc Wayne and shares her thoughts.

In the April Issue of The Provider: The Newspaper of the Provider’s Council, Rebekah Roulier, LMHC, shares the reality, hope, and work to be done on the mental health front amidst “the unrelenting pandemic and economic, political and racial strife of the past year…” in Viewpoints from Across the State.

Beth Caronna of Malden [Massachusetts], was recently hired as a Champions Network™ Facilitator at Doc Wayne Youth Services after interning and attending[as a client] there.

[David Cohen, CEO shares] how mental health (for all ages) has been an escalating crisis in the United States for years, with no substantial plan to address it. Mental health should be given the same priority as physical health; it shouldn’t be a line item on a list of questions asked at annual physicals or by a school nurse.

Boston-based nonprofit uses sports — now online — to address stress and mental health issues for young people. Maggie Yuan, ED.D., LMHC is the Program Director for Doc Wayne and oversees the clinical team and delivery of clinical programming, and develops and maintains relationships with external program partners.

Rebekah Roulier, nonprofit executive leader and licensed mental health clinician focused on driving innovation in the mental health and youth sport communities, speaks with host Chris Meek about the relationship between sport and mental health.

WEYMOUTH, MA — A Weymouth resident has joined Doc Wayne Youth Services, a Boston nonprofit that uses sport-based therapy to help at-risk youth, as a Facilitator for the organization’s Champions Network training platform.

Doc Wayne Youth Services, a Boston nonprofit that fuses sport and therapy to strengthen at-risk youth, announces it has added 12 team members in varying roles to address the increasing demand for its services in the light of the pandemic as well as political and racial strife.

Doc Wayne Youth Services recently announced Natasha Goss, of Weymouth, joined the team as a facilitator for the Champions Network.

As a facilitator, Goss will conduct trainings on various topics and support the Network.

In 1984, two 12-year-old boys – one Black, one White – met on a Connecticut soccer field, and decades later they have been reunited through soccer and social justice. David Cohen grew up in the upscale side of Hartford while Dushawne Simpson lived in the tough side of the city. Despite their differences, they developed a deep respect for one another through the game of soccer. They both have had lifelong soccer journeys and have kept tabs on one another over the years through social media.

The Pena family of South Boston shares how Doc Wayne has helped them over the last several years, even more during the pandemic. And, new board member Dushawne Simpson, a Black, professional athlete brings additional perspective and helps instill in the kids that “we are all one, and there is no better way to do that than a team – through sports.”

The Boston Business Journal features perspective from Doc Wayne’s Deputy Director Rebekah Roulier, LMHC, in this op-ed about the urgent need for additional mental health services.

Dr. SADÉ CALLWOOD of Douglas has been named to the board of Doc Wayne Youth Services, a Boston nonprofit combining sport and therapy to heal and strengthen at-risk youth.

Former Babson men’s soccer player David Cohen ‘95 has been involved in sports-based youth development since 2008. Today, he’s the CEO of Doc Wayne Youth Services, an award-winning Boston nonprofit that focuses on the social, emotional, and behavioral well-being of at-risk youth.

Dr. Sade Callwood recently joined the Board of Doc Wayne Youth Services, a Boston nonprofit that fuses sport and therapy to heal and strengthen at-risk youth. (page 45)

A Medway resident has been named a “Campaign Champion” by the Foundation for MetroWest, the only community foundation serving the MetroWest region of Greater Boston.

Pingree girls soccer coach Dushawne Simpson doesn’t just share a nickname — Doc — with Doc Wayne Youth Services. He shares a vision for helping the youth of America through sports.

Doc Wayne Youth Services, a Boston nonprofit that fuses sport and therapy to heal and strengthen at-risk youth, has announce that Dr. Sadé Callwood of Douglas has recently joined its board.

Doc Wayne Youth Services (“Doc Wayne,”) a Boston nonprofit that fuses sport and therapy to heal and strengthen at-risk youth, announced that Beverly resident Dushawne “Doc” Simpson has recently joined its board.

Dr. Sadé Callwood has joined the board of Doc Wayne Youth Services (“Doc Wayne”), a Boston nonprofit that fuses sport and therapy to heal and strengthen at-risk youth.

It’s tough for sports kids during the COVID-19 crisis. Either they aren’t playing sports at all–or if they are, they’re worried about their sports being canceled due to COVID-19.

Hockey goalie Molly Schaus recently offered advice to young people on how to cope with the stress of being under quarantine.

During an April 1 interview with The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah, Love said those conditions have intensified in the wake of COVID-19. The situation also reminded Love of something President Barack Obama once shared with him. “It’s the isolation and loneliness that’s devastating at this time,” Love recounted to his host. “It’s important for people to know it’s normal to feel this way.”

Perhaps, there is no better time than the present to bring this story to you – the story of two local men whose outreach of their helping hands has touched a combined 2 million-plus lives. Through the work of their respective non-profit organizations and their respective health battles waged, these survivors have come face-to-face with their individual mortality. What all of this has yielded to is their indomitable fighting spirit that has them talking…

Sports have the power to change lives. Doc Wayne, a Boston-based non-profit organization, re-imagines group therapy through the lens of sport to help thousands of students each year.

Boston-based nonprofit focuses on children coping with trauma, mental health struggles.

Doc Wayne is a Boston non-profit that is reimagining mental and behavioral therapy by fusing sport and clinical psychology to heal and strengthen at-risk youth.