Newcastle United and England defender Dan Burn has spoken openly about the benefits of therapy, urging others to seek help for their mental health challenges. “Therapy worked quite well for me,” Burn said, while emphasizing that it may not suit everyone but encouraged finding ways to support oneself and others.
Burn was speaking at the launch of the ‘One of Our Own’ initiative, a partnership between Newcastle City Council and the club to mark Mental Health Awareness Week. As part of the campaign, eleven specially designed public benches have been placed across Newcastle, each featuring thought-provoking questions aimed at starting conversations about mental well-being. QR codes on the benches direct people to a 24/7 support network, including helplines like Samaritans.
The 34-year-old defender, reflecting on his personal journey, said he wants to help younger players navigate their careers. “I want to help my kids and the younger lads coming through because I know that I’ve had that experience,” Burn told BBC Look North. “There are things that are going to happen in their careers they have never had the experience of, so I’ve just tried to pass on little bits of wisdom. I’m always trying to say there’s ways you can deal with mental health. Therapy worked quite well for me. That doesn’t mean it works for everyone, but things like this, the walking football—there’s always something you can do to help each other and help yourself.”
Burn also expressed pride in his career journey, having been released by Newcastle as a youngster and later by Fulham in 2016, before earning his first England call-up last year. He now has his sights set on this summer’s World Cup. “I’m desperate to be there,” he said. “It’s not as if it’s going to come around again. I’m 34, so I’d be very surprised if I was in the running for the next World Cup. Hopefully I’ve done enough. We will find out in a couple of weeks.” National teams must submit their World Cup squads by May 31, with the tournament co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico running from June 11 to July 19.