Decisions about the management of mental distress in professional footballers

Abstract Why, What, Who, When are a set of questions, sometimes referred to as the ‘WH calibration questions’ that help interrogate a concept in terms of its application and utility. In this article these questions are used to evaluate decisions made by footballers around their mental health (MH) and wellbeing. They allow us to examine the help-seeking behaviours of footballers, such as: Why seek help? What help is available? Who to go to? When’s the right time? The article examines the psychotherapies, mainly CBT, suitable for football players and offers practical examples of how clubs have supported their players. The roles of multi-disciplinary team members involved in promoting the wellbeing of players are discussed. The content of this paper is based on a review of the literature and personal knowledge of the authors’ experiences as MH clinicians in professional football clubs. Key learning aims (1) To show the extent to which professional footballers experience mental health difficulties, and the nature of these problems. (2) To highlight the thought processes of footballers during their management of their mental health. (3) To provide a description of the therapies available to footballers, and highlighting the forms of CBT in common use. (4) To emphasise the need for a holistic approach to MH provision, and clarify the roles of people within football clubs who provide MH support. (5) To reflect on the need for ‘in-house’ specialist mental health input within professional football clubs.