CounsellingPlayer Support
Sometimes the most important thing your organisation can provide is somewhere to turn.
Sometimes the most important thing you can give your athletes is somewhere to turn.
Because exceptional teams deserve exceptional support. Life doesn't stop when the working day starts, so Talk Buddy gives your people confidential, professional counselling, on their own terms.
Player Support is confidential, professional counselling for the athletes and staff you cover. Your organisation provides access. Talk Buddy delivers it independently, so players can get help without anyone at the club or programme knowing.
Support for what mattersWhat players bring to us
A safe space for life's challenges.
Sport is only part of it.
People come to counselling about all sorts of things, at work and at home. No issue is too big or too small.
Athletes carry pressures most people never see, on top of everything else life brings. Player Support covers all of it.
For team and individual sports alike: rugby, football, cricket, hockey, swimming, athletics, cycling, tennis and more.
How counselling worksHow Player Support works
Getting support is simple.
Simple, private and built around your athletes.
- 1Self-referShare
A private link for your people
A private link for your athletes
Your people self-refer through your organisation's Talk Buddy link. No HR or manager referral needed.
You share a private Player Support link. Athletes self-refer, with no referral from coaches, medical or welfare staff.
- 2Choose
They choose their counsellor
On their private page, your people choose a counsellor they feel comfortable with, and we arrange the first session.
On their private page, athletes choose a counsellor they feel comfortable with, and we arrange the first session.
- 3Begin
Sessions begin
50-minute sessions online or in person, from a private space, at times that work for them.
50-minute sessions online or in person, planned around training, competition and travel.
Independent & confidential
Private by design.
You won't know who uses itThe club won't know who uses it
You receive anonymised, combined reporting only. Never names, dates, which counsellor anyone chose, or what was discussed.
You receive anonymised, combined figures only, with extra protections for small squads so no one can be identified.
Clinical records stay separate
Notes are kept in a separate clinical system, never with employerclub or programme data.
Keeping people safe
Confidentiality only breaks where the law requires it, or if there's a serious risk to someone's safety.
Questions organisations askQuestions clubs ask
Before you ask.
Will we know who uses counselling?
No. You receive anonymised, aggregated reporting only. Never names, dates, which counsellor anyone chose, or what was discussed. That's why people trust it enough to use it.
How quickly can people be seen?
Within five working days on average, and the same day for urgent cases.
How many sessions does each person get?
Six 50-minute sessions per allocation, with a second allocation available depending on your plan.
Will the club know which players use it?
No. You receive anonymous totals only, with small-squad protections. Never names, dates, which counsellor a player chose, or what they discussed.
Which sports do you work with?
Team and individual sports alike: rugby, football, cricket, hockey, swimming, athletics, cycling, tennis and more, from clubs and academies to governing bodies and performance programmes.
Who can use Player Support?
Athletes aged 18 and over in a covered squad or programme, and staff where agreed. A dedicated academy pathway, with its own safeguarding and consent arrangements, is in development.