Exploring the Path to Sports Psychiatry: A Journey of Passion and Purpose

Psychiatric Times is excited to announce the addition of Wilsa M. S. Charles Malveaux, MD, MA, FAPA, a sports psychiatrist based in Los Angeles, CA, as sports psychiatry section editor. Malveaux is joining as the sports psychiatry section editor. We asked a few questions to get to know her and her practice.

Malveaux said she feels the road less often traveled accurately represents her career. “I’ve been passionate about this field even before I was aware that it was a field, I’ve been doing the work before the work had a name,” Malveaux said. While her original path was not for sports psychiatry but instead the surgical field, she said her experiences as an athlete, with injuries, failures, and setbacks made it clear the path she should take. “I realized in my journey that what I was really interested in helping athletes with was not necessarily the physical injuries from the standpoint of healing those physical injuries, but all the feelings that come with those things,” Malveaux said.

She said that for her, it’s not just about the illness, but also wellness. “Helping them to perform better, not because we are focusing on the techniques of performance, but rather because I really enjoy getting at what is it that is holding them back?” Malveaux said. Getting at what is getting in the way of them focusing, training, and performing the way they need to and helping them with that is what interests her in the field.

This is part 1 of a 4-part video series.

Dr Wilsa Charles Malveaux is a sports psychiatrist in Los Angeles, California, and CEO of WCM Sports Psych. She is an advocate and educator on the intersection of mental health, sports, and racial and social justice. Dr Charles Malveaux lends her expertise as a psychiatric consultant to multiple national sport-related agencies, professional sports teams, and organizations. She served for over 4 years as the Western Regional Trustee (region 4) on the Board of Black Psychiatrists of America. Dr Charles Malveaux now serves on the Board of Directors for the American Board of Sports and Performance Psychiatry (ABSPP), as well as on advisory boards for organizations serving the community.