Male eating disorders and therapy for high performance athletes with Brad Kennington LMFT.

This episode is another one that combines 2 things I love to talk about; mental health and sports. I’m joined by Brad Kennington, an Austin based licensed marriage and family therapist who specialises in working 2 patient groups; men with eating disorders, and athletes of both genders.

If you listened to episode 25 with Kevin Sprouse from EF Pro Cycling, we touched on some of the mental health issues that impact athletes and male body image, so it’s definitely a topic I was keen to dig into in more detail and Brad is exactly the right man for the job.

We talk about the scale of eating disorders in men, what are some of the causes and warning signs a Fellowman might have disordered eating. We dig into his work specifically with athletes, how he uses his work in family systems to work with an athlete’s extended support system of family and coaches.

We round things out with a discussion on how to stay balanced as an athlete and focus on the fun and play that brings many of us to sports in the first place before things got serious with competition, tracking, data, and metrics of all sorts that can contribute to making the stressful job of being a competitive athlete more stressful than it needs to be.

 

Links to material referenced in the podcast:

Austin Sports Behavioral Health.

https://www.austinfitmagazine.com/May-2024/the-naked-truth-about-body-image/

https://www.austinfitmagazine.com/September-2024/food-fitness-sport/