DoK Wood's Words on Simone Bile's Courage

By Ammon Cheney, Psy.D.

Published July 30, 2021

Simone Biles stepped out of Olympic events this week and a lot of the world lost their shirts over it. However, among the mental health field, I believe, there was a collective sigh of relief. Therapists, as well as all mental health advocates, love to witness a global icon decide to place mental health over the fiction of a public persona. Many celebrities are open about their personal mental health struggles, but more often than not, we hear about how lack of self-care led to a burnout, overdose, or breakdown. It is wonderful to have it modeled, for all of us, that taking a break is possible even when the whole world expects something else from us.

Perhaps the best commentary comes from UVU Student Health Services's own sport performance mental health specialist, DoK Woods. Check out Woods’ interview with The Chicago Tribune, and don’t (like I did at first) stop reading mid-article at an ad, that’s not the end! There is a lot of valuable wisdom for all of us in Woods’ comments.