Brendan Kiernan

Brendan is a professional footballer and recently qualified psychotherapist, having completed his training and Place2Be counselling placement.

Marking World Suicide Prevention Day 2025 with this personal reflection by Brendan Kiernan, a professional footballer who is now also a qualified adult and child counsellor.

My counselling and psychotherapy journey began during the 2019/20 football season. At the time, I was playing for Harrogate Town Football Club and through the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), I was invited to take part in a Place2Be Taster Day session.

It’s not often you hear ‘professional footballer’ and ‘psychotherapy’ in a sentence together. Maybe now, thankfully, the association of these two words aren’t as worlds apart as they used to be – as here I am, a fully qualified therapist.

It was the devastating story of a young aspriring footballer, who sadly took his own life after being let go from a Premier League academy, that spurred me to take on a role mentoring young players who are either navigating the world of professional football or had been let go by their clubs.

His experience and my interest in youth mentoring drew me to the Place2Be Taster Day. I had many thoughts, questions and felt many emotions after hearing his story, as there were some parallels in my own, which I shared in a piece for BBC Sport.

The Place2Be Taster Day brought me together with other professional footballers, coaches and those working with young people to learn more from the experts about approaches to child mental wellbeing; taking “it’s okay not to be okay” a little deeper than just a statement. The workshop was creative and inspiring and provided valuable insight into essential counselling skills, as well as setting out what completing a Level 2 in Counselling and Psychotherapy could look like. The whole day was so stimulating and educational and it cemented that I wanted to be part of that change.

Over this last year, I’ve been working with young people on a one-to-one basis in a Place2Be partner school, as part of my counselling qualification. I find it interesting but not surprising to learn that there aren’t as many men in counselling or therapeutic spaces; yet observationally, you can feel there is a strong need for healthy male role models. Not only for the young men but for young women also.

Former England manager Gareth Southgate recently referred to “young men need[ing] role models not gaming and porn.” This is quite a statement. What I take from this is that if we can display/provide healthier outlets for young men to build connections and broaden their emotional vocabulary, it can result in them being better friends, sons, husbands, partners, brothers and people.

I've found that football is quite a useful tool when connecting with some young people. On one occasion, I was working with a self-referred young person and together we were unpacking their story. To help them, I used a football analogy: It’s the biggest game of their life. Who’s on their team? What position are they playing? Who’s on the sidelines? Using this analogy helped us both to discuss support systems, values and true thoughts and feelings. This is just one of many examples of using football to enhance therapeutic work.

I’ll leave you with a few areas of observation I’ve made whilst working therapeutically with young people so far:

Preparation

• Be flexible in how you approach every session. Every young person experiences the world differently
• Make use of the breaks in between sessions well. How can you plan better? Rest and realign to what the next young person’s needs are

Play

• Remember that play therapy can be just as impactful as talking therapy
• Keep your approach light. I play my best football when I’m relaxed
• The UNO card game is underrated!

Brendan Kiernan  

As a professional footballer Brendan spent his early youth career at Bromley, Fulham and Crystal Palace before joining AFC Wimbledon at the age of 16. He made his league debut in 2011, at the age of 18. 

Whilst navigating the highs and lows of his own football career, Brendan has also worked as a Teaching Assistant and Personal Trainer. During the 2023–24 season Brendan was invited to return to Premier League club Crystal Palace, as a player/coach and mentor for the under-21 team, supporting young players in developing their skills both on and off the pitch, whilst sharing his lived experience.  

Brendan is a well-regarded mental health advocate, fundraiser and role model, with much interest in the intersection between sport and mental wellbeing. Having experienced a Place2Be Taster Day in 2019, Brendan went on to complete his Level 2 ‘Introduction to Counselling Skills’ Award and ‘Intermediate Child Counselling Skills’ Level 3 Certificate with Place2Be.  

Brendan is now a qualified child and adult psychotherapist, having completed the CPCAB Level 4 Post Graduate Diploma. As part of that qualification, he undertook a counselling placement year with Place2Be at an ARK secondary school.  

Going forward, Brendan will be using his newly acquired skills and qualifications, as he takes up various counselling, coaching and mentoring roles. You can find out more about what he’s up to and connect with him at www.cbkprojects.com 

World Suicide Prevention Day

Resources you may find useful

• Our Parenting Smart video and tips about how to help your child if they are self-harming
• PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide is a UK charity dedicated to preventing suicide and promoting positive mental health and wellbeing in young people. Here are some useful links on how to approach someone who is feeling suicidal:
• PAPYRUS: How do I know if someone is feeling suicidal?
• PAPYRUS: Conversation starters tip
• PAPYRUS: Parents Guide
• Stay Alive App

Are you worried that a child or young person you know is thinking about suicide, or are you a young person experiencing suicidal thoughts? Call Hopeline UK for free on 0800 068 4141 to speak to one of their advisers. The service is available 9 am–midnight, 365 days a year in the UK.

Read more on how Place2Be supports the prevention of suicide