​The mission of the New York State Athletic Trainers’ Association’s ATs Care Committee is to provide timely, confidential peer to peer support services to athletic trainers and athletic training students following a critical incident (CI) or catastrophic event through supporting, assisting and monitoring the emotional well-being of the athletic trainer/athletic training student. 

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Throughout one's career, an Athletic Trainer may be confronted with managing an injury or illness that is traumatic or catastrophic in nature. Such an event may result in the athletic trainer having to deal with his or her own mental, emotional and or (physiological stress in the aftermath of a critical incident (CI). The athletic trainer may not be able, nor be prepared to deal with their own stress in the aftermaths of a critical incident. A study conducted by the National Athletic Trainers Association found that 82% of members surveyed felt they were not prepared to deal with the psychological impact following a catastrophic event. With more attention focused on mental health, Athletic Trainers are in the forefront of not only recognizing others in need, but need to understand and recognize that they may also need help. In 2014, the NATA board of directors approved the development of ATs Care commission. This program has been established, to aid Athletic Trainers and Athletic Training students, who have been through a critical incident by utilizing a peer-to peer-system. The support system is designed to assist, monitor, and encourage AT's who have been affected, to seek support from local and national Athletic Trainers who have been trained in psychological first aid. In this presentation, attendees will learn how to implement approaches in handling a critical incident, as well as understand how to report an incident to ATs Care, and to the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research (NCCSIR).​​