Cali Werner
Author
Cali (Roper) Werner is an athlete and clinician specializing in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Cali's research focuses on competitive athletes with debilitating anxiety that negatively impacts their performance.
Cali's struggle with OCD began at the young age of four. However, Cali did not receive a proper diagnosis or evidence-based care un....
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Cali (Roper) Werner is an athlete and clinician specializing in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Cali's research focuses on competitive athletes with debilitating anxiety that negatively impacts their performance.
Cali's struggle with OCD began at the young age of four. However, Cali did not receive a proper diagnosis or evidence-based care until she went to college. Cali's OCD symptoms increased during times of stress. As her successes grew as a Division I distance runner at Rice University, her symptoms worsened. These circumstances made Cali's love for her sport turn into dread. While at Rice, Cali won 9 conference championships and was named an honorable mention All-American in the 10k. Cali was able to reignite the love for her sport after receiving appropriate evidence-based care. Cali hopes to help others with mental illness know that they are not alone, and that appropriate treatment is available for them to reobtain the joy that mental illness takes away.
Cali recently qualified and competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in 2020 and continues to pursue her passion for running while advocating for those struggling with mental illness through her research, therapy, and her own personal testimony.
While obtaining her Ph.D. at Baylor University, Cali also works at the McLean OCD Institute at Houston as a mental health clinician. In her free time, Cali enjoys growing in faith, learning about new cultures through travel, and spending time outdoors with her pups, family, and friends.