MENTAL HEALTH POLICY

We do not allow any discrimination towards anyone’s mental state or psychological needs. We strive to provide an environment of support and acceptance. That said, Jiu jitsu is not intended to replace the support of a mental health professional or serve as a replacement to a more proper therapeutic engagement.

Many stressful or even triggering situation can occur with close proximity of others, physical movement, the way sparring mimics a real conflict, and even forced interpersonal relationships with team members. We encourage everyone to talk to a coach about your needs (but disclose only what is comfortable and safe to share) to make sure we do our best to accommodate.

If you find you are having any sort of mental health issue during a class you may always:

*Leave the mat with any or no explanation

*Use any private space as a quiet room for as long as needed

*Leave the class fully at any time

*Ask verbally or tap during a roll to stop

*Cry or otherwise express emotions

*Talk to a coach (Coaches are NOT mental health professionals and we want to avoid giving advice we are not qualified to give, as well as avoiding any already existing power disparity between a coach and athlete)

We do not accept or encourage the mentality of “toughing out” every situation which is prevalent in combat sports especially.

These policies extend to coming to or skipping training in the first place as well. We affirm that we will not judge or bully any member based on their ability to attend classes for any reason. We will encourage you and we do want everyone to feel a level of comfort where it IS possible for you to attend as much as you are able, but never at the expense of your mental state.

Included below are some basic mental health resources:

Emergency & Crisis Services (24/7)

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 for immediate assistance.

• Crisis Connections: Provides a 24-hour crisis line (206-461-3222) for King County residents.

• Seattle Children’s Psychiatric Urgent Care: Offers same-day in-person and video visits for children/teens (ages 4–17)

• Washington Recovery Help Line: 1-866-789-1511 (support for substance abuse, gambling, mental health).