Mykal Manswell speaks with maturity beyond his age, especially when addressing the mental health issues among African Americans related to racism and the pandemic.

The 25-year-old former college football player, in an interview with Zenger, referred to racial suffering that has afflicted blacks since the birth of America and beyond.

“Unfortunately, the African American community has been dealing with generational trauma for more than 400 years. That kind of healing should be seen as a priority, not a problem, because when left untreated, unsupported or simply uneducated, history will continue to repeat itself,” said Manswell, a North Carolina-based mental health counselor.

“I am proud to be an African American in the field of mental health and of any mental health student or professional who makes a difference. The field can continue to thrive as more people in our community support each other by encouraging to seek therapy, receive training in the field, or host community events so that it can be effectively normalized. Pain does not discriminate, so it is important for the African American community to heal every day.”

Manswell is also the founder of HYPE Consulting, which provides services and guidance in areas such as mental health, sports psychology, career development and leadership training.

Manswell “has always been full of motivational energy,” says Josh Best, his 27-year-old former sports and exercise psychology classmate at West Virginia University.

“Mykal is a man who never forgets where he came from and how he got there,” says Best, who coaches athletes. “Mykal is just real, and he lives up to the HYPE of his company’s name.”

Manswell launched the company while in graduate school pursuing a master’s degree in counseling psychology.

“The benefits of implementing positive self-talk, productive goal setting, and managing performance anxiety have also helped me in several areas and achievements, be it a place on the roster at the Division I level, the obtaining various jobs in different career fields or presenting at multiple national conferences in the fields of sports psychology and mental health,” Manswell said. “The clients I’ve had the pleasure of working with have understood the value of these simple concepts.”

“Because the process of becoming successful and building trust takes time, self-talk empowers you to be your best supporter. Goal setting creates actionable processes to implement,” he said. capable of preparing to execute on objectives with minimal errors One thing I have found helpful is that regardless of the clientele I serve – business owners, professional athletes or college students – the process of pursuing greatness can be applied to anyone.

HYPE offers various forms of services such as mentoring, life coaching, career coaching and mental performance coaching.

“Career coaching has given me the expertise to help young professionals navigate the workplace and build their skills to pursue their aspirations with confidence,” says Manswell, who is pursuing his certification as a certified mental performance counselor. “Mentorship provides me with a motivational role to give individuals from similar or different backgrounds the opportunity to learn effective skills, tools and resources to improve their lives.”

Manswell speaks from personal experience dealing with mental health issues from multiple perspectives: client, graduate student, and now licensed clinician.

Manswell’s low point came personally during his sophomore year of college in September 2015 when he was “kicked off” for the West Virginia Mountaineers football team as a walk-on wide receiver and cornerback, without a scholarship.

The Mountaineers were 2-0 when an off-campus fight took place, and while they weren’t directly involved, Manswell and several other players lost their place on the team.

After several tryouts and attempts to rejoin the team, Manswell said he endured extreme depression and anxiety over an 18-month period. During part of that time, Manswell delivered pizzas to the fans of the team he had just been cut from.

“I became a pizza delivery guy for a few months to cover rent, school and daily expenses. When I was delivering a pizza, a woman said, ‘You’d better hurry so you can go home and watch the game.’ I can’t imagine how impactful those words were for me to hear as I looked from the outside in with my life after football was over,” Manswell said.

“On certain days I felt like the world was numb. I would then be on edge for days waiting for someone to confirm I can come back to the team, but I had to watch the 2015 season go by and missed my “first bowling experience for the Cactus Bowl. The period of depression kept me from using my time wisely with school opportunities to become a better student. I experienced depression, anxiety and an identity crisis.”

Visiting a mental health counselor “started a new journey for me” and “changed the trajectory of my life forever,” Manswell said.

Manswell’s perseverance isn’t lost on former Mountaineers teammate Will Crest, who works as a youth mentor at a Baltimore community center.

“Depression is something you don’t take lightly, and Mykal’s situation helped me realize that in college,” Crest said.

“Mykal’s resilience to get himself out of that miserable frame of mind has been remarkable. Since then, he has put into practice what he learned as a student, using it not only as a means of motivating himself, but also helping other athletes and individuals. help out. “

In May 2018, after serving as a peer mentor during his senior year, Manswell graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in sports and exercise psychology. A month later, Manswell worked as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

“IMG provided my first opportunity to merge my educational and athletic experiences to help professional and youth athletes from around the world excel at their sport,” said Manswell, who has worked with athletes from more than 80 countries.

“I also had the pleasure of being challenged with learning how to deal with language barriers to be able to communicate with international students from Brazil, China, Korea and several other places around the world. It was nice for me to be able to implement mental strategies that enabled them to emphasize the meaning of teamwork, guts, perseverance, passion and fun at a fundamental level so that they can be consistently intrinsically motivated and dominate their revered sport.”

Manswell published a research paper on athletes leaving competitive sports in October 2018. After a year at IMG, Manswell was accepted into a master’s program at Robert Morris University to earn a degree in counseling psychology.

Manswell moved from Bradenton to Pittsburgh for his next job as a child development specialist at the Bradley Center, a 24-hour residential treatment facility for adolescents who have experienced severe trauma, behavioral problems, and intellectual impairment.

Manswell worked there for another year before transitioning to a head teacher role at KinderCare Early Learning Center in Pittsburgh, where he worked with preschool and kindergarten age children in social, academic and emotional development.

“Being a counselor doesn’t feel like work to me, which is why I know this is my passion, whether it’s helping with life transitions, traumatic experiences, or everyday skills,” Manswell said. “The diversity in mental health keeps me interested, committed and motivated, which is why my goals for the future are to conduct joint mental health awareness projects with global companies.”

Manswell moved to Raleigh, North Carolina in July 2021 to begin his clinical career with Hope Services as an intensive home counselor for families and children dealing with mental health issues, substance use, and out-of-home placement.

With more experience and professional references, he switched to Thriveworks Counseling and Coaching in February.

“My journey has been long, strenuous, and full of ups and downs,” says Manswell, who offers psychotherapy to couples and individuals coping with conflict resolution, post-traumatic stress, and self-esteem, among other things.

“But all of this has made me successful every step of the way,” he says. “This story is intended as motivation and inspiration for those who not only want to be great in their lives, but also as a demonstration that by persevering, even in the darkest of times, one can emerge triumphant.”

This story was provided to Newsweek by Zenger News.