Brad Kennington, LMFT-S, LPC-S has been practicing therapy for over twenty-five years, specializing in disordered eating and body image issues, and is nationally recognized for his focus on males with eating disorders. Exercise and athletic involvement can be gateways into disordered eating, and it was through treating eating disorders that Brad first began working with athletes two decades ago. Beyond his expertise in eating disorders and body image issues, Brad works with athletes to address various other problems that impact their sport performance and mental health. These include anxiety and stress, the emotional impact of sport injury and recovery, transitioning from one’s sport and embracing a post-athlete identity, relationship dynamics with coaches, teammates and family members, as well as other concerns. He has consulted with professional and elite athletes, including those who have competed on an international level. His experience also extends to collegiate and high school athletes and those involved in club and recreational sports, with much of his work focusing on NCAA Division 1 athletes.
Prior to opening his private practice, Brad was the executive director of two different eating disorder treatment centers in the Austin area. He also served on the board of the National Association for Males with Eating Disorders before it merged with the National Eating Disorders Association. Brad has presented on eating disorders in males at international and national conferences and for numerous professional organizations and graduate training programs. He is a contributing author to a chapter in Current Findings on Males with Eating Disorders. Because of his work with this unique population, Brad has been quoted by the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, HuffPost and in Harvard Medical School’s Almost Anorexic. He has also been interviewed by Newsweek for an article on steroid abuse in adolescent male athletes. Brad is a regular contributor on wellness issues for Austin Fit Magazine.
Brad understands that athletes have a unique relationship with their sport. Like any other relationship, challenges with self-doubt, fear of failure, comparing oneself to others, a drive to be perfect can all create emotional vertigo for athletes, knocking them off balance and out of their flow. Brad assists athletes in regaining their balance by helping them recognize that adversity and disappointment are a natural part of one’s sport story, they do not have to be the story. They are opportunities to persist, grow, and strengthen an athlete’s mental game so that they can show up, compete, and excel at what they have trained to do, and to once again enjoy the sport they have known for so long.
Brad also helps athletes and coaches develop the leadership skills needed to guide their team to success. His experience as a leader both in corporate healthcare and in politics has given him insight into what qualities and characteristics make a leader effective within a fast-paced, highly competitive environment.
In addition to his private practice, Brad has been a contract therapist with the University of Texas at Austin Athletics for over ten years. He is currently the eating disorder consulting therapist with Driftwood Recovery. Brad also consults with Sage Recovery and Wellness Center on eating disorder cases.
Brad is a Texas board approved supervisor for both LMFT and LPC Associates and is an adjunct clinical affiliate for the University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing. He is a member of the Academic & Wellness Roundtable with Athlete Foundry and is a past chair of Governmental Affairs for the Texas Division of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.
Brad has also consulted with law firms and other professional organizations impacted by mental health crises and other issues. He has presented on mental health and wellness to attorneys, law students, and judges through the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program.
Brad is a native Texan. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with the intent of going to law school. Brad then worked for six years as the chief of staff and legislative director for a state representative. He decided the ‘contact sport’ of politics was not a good fit for his sense of humor and direct style of relating. Instead, he chose to pursue his graduate work in psychotherapy at Texas State University. Brad enjoys writing and is currently working on a book on pet grief. He likes staying active and being outdoors, especially if it involves water. And after a decades-long break from tennis due to injured knees, Brad is finally enjoying being back on the court again.