Michael Phelps “Super Pumped” to See Therapy Offered in Schools

Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, openly credits therapy for saving his life. Now he wants everyone to have access to therapy, especially kids in school.

At his lowest moment in 2014, he locked himself in his room for four days and contemplated suicide. At that time, “I was almost ashamed of the things that I was going through and feeling,” Phelps reveals. “I also felt like I was trapped and there was nobody that I could open up to.”

Although he was “scared as hell” to give therapy a try, once he chose to take a risk, he told TODAY, ” I just went off — just unloaded absolutely everything — so I want anybody to have that ability that needs to have that ability.”

“If I hadn’t allowed myself to become vulnerable, I don’t know if I’d be here,” he admitted. Since then, he’s become an outspoken advocate for therapy and has partnered with Talkspace, a telehealth mental health provider.

Having grown up in Baltimore, he’s now excited that Talkspace and the Baltimore County Public Schools have teamed up to provide free, unlimited telehealth therapy for all 32,000 BCPS high school students ages 13 and up.

“I’m super pumped for this to be in Baltimore County Public Schools. This is where I was in school, where I grew up. My mom still works at the board of education. So this is something that I hope other school systems can do as well,” he says.

If he had such an asset available when he was in school, Phelps says he would have “100%” used it. “This would have been a game changer for me back then.”

Read the full article here.

Or read “Michael Phelps has a message for men: Go to therapy.”

 

Colosi, Rosie. “Michael Phelps on creating a ‘generational shift’ for his sons. TODAY.com, 22 Dec 2023, https://www.today.com/parents/dads/michael-phelps-raising-sons-mental-health-rcna130795.

Abrahamson, Rachael Paula. “Michael Phelps has a message for men: Go to therapy.” TODAY.com, 5 Jan 2023, https://www.today.com/parents/dads/michael-phelps-depression-therapy-saved-life-rcna64239.