Hokie ClubSeptember marks National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness, reducing stigma, and encouraging open conversations about mental health. In this Q&A discussion with Kamryn Henson, we explore the personal mental health journey of a student-athlete—a group often facing unique pressures both on and off the field. By sharing her story, challenges, and strategies for coping, we hope to shed light on the importance of mental wellness in athletics and inspire others to seek help and support when needed.
Now a sophomore at Tech, Henson has been an advocate for mental health and well-being for a few years now, since she survived an attempt that she made on her own life in high school.
Below is a transcription of our conversation with Kamryn.
HokieSports – Can you share anything about your attempt and how your perspective has shifted since that day in high school?
Henson – Yes, on April 20, I attempted to take my own life, it was the day of prom. The Friday before that was my birthday and I genuinely felt like that was going to be my last week on this Earth. I was waiting for that upcoming weekend, and I tried to take my own life.
The next morning when I woke up, I woke up in the in the hospital and the first person I saw was my dad, and I think him not saying a word and just giving me a hug meant so much in that moment. Right then I realized that I wasn’t alone.
Obviously, when I first woke up that morning, it wasn’t like, “Okay, I’m so happy to be here.” There was still a little bit of sadness, there was still a little bit of anger, but it does get better every single day. I still do have my bad days, but my bad days now are nothing compared to my bad days then.
Every single time I make a post about it, I always say, “I’m so glad that I got a second chance.” Truly, I am so happy I got a second chance.
One thing that I do now is go on evening walks. I remember for my one-year anniversary from my attempt, I took a walk, and that was eye-opening because I realized how far I’ve came.
HokieSports - At what point in your life did you begin struggling with your mental health?
Henson – I’ve struggled with my mental health since middle school, so it was a gradual build. It first started with anxiety and ADHD, and it was like that for a while. Depression really kicked in for me at the end of my junior year of high school 2023, in the spring, and I struggled with it badly all the way until fall of my freshman year at Virginia Tech.
HokieSports – When did you realize that seeing a professional was an avenue that you wanted to pursue, and how has it been freeing to speak with someone each week?
Henson – I saw a therapist before coming to Tech, and I knew I wanted to stay ahead of it because I didn’t want it to get to a point where I had no one that I could talk to. I reached out to my athletic trainer, Anne Bryan, and she gave me a referral to Cook Counseling Center on campus, and I’ve stuck with it ever since. It’s honestly nice to know that I can go in there once a week and let everything that’s on my mind out, because one thing that is good for me personally is letting stuff out. I’ve tried writing it out, but speaking is so much more therapeutic for me. Cook Counseling has helped me since I’ve been here.
HokieSports –How has your depression affected you and your personal relationships?
Henson – I’m a person who, when I have energy, I really want to talk to people, and when I don’t, I really want to be by myself. I think that is one thing, being with the team all the time, it can be hard to get out of the mindset that I need to be happy, but since my team is understanding of my situation, I don’t have to do have that.
When it gets to the end of the week and we’ve been doing a lot of training, I tend to run out of energy. That’s one thing it definitely impacts.
When I’m out with my friends or with the team, I make an effort to know my body and know my mental state, and if it's not doing very well, then I’ll go home.
HokieSports – You mentioned your teammates. What role has being a D1 athlete played in your journey?
Henson – They help me out every single day. Those two to four hours that I’m at the facility, and I’m dealing with a bunch of other stuff in my life, that’s when I can decompress and let loose because my teammates are my best friends. If I’m ever dealing with something, they can notice that and pick me up out of that. They are a huge part of my recovery journey.
HokieSports – How have the adults in your life assisted with your recovery?
Henson – My family is the best, they understood immediately. There’s a lot of mental struggles within my family, so it wasn’t that out of the ordinary when I was experiencing them too. They really know how to handle it and how to manage it. When I say, “I’m not feeling my best today,” they understand that.
They know that sometimes you wake up and that day just isn’t your day. At Tech, I think every single person has their own understanding. My entire coaching staff understood. Even if they notice I’m a little quieter some days, because I am typically a very loud voice on the field, they’ll text me after and say, “Hey, are you okay?” and I will respond with, “Yeah, I just wasn’t having one of my best days.”
HokieSports – What strategies, resources, and routines have been most helpful for you to keep you at your best?
Henson – I think noticing my body and realizing how I’m reacting to things. Sometimes at the end of the week I realize I need to skip out on a movie with friends so I can have some alone time to slow down and decompress.
Another thing is keeping up with going to see my therapist every single week helps a lot because I need to stay on top of it. Even if I don’t feel like I need it that week, I always end up going in there, and I’m like, “Wait, this was kind of bothering me this week.” Even though something might not seem like I need it then, I realize that I still need to go and be proactive about it.
HokieSports – Other than your meeting your therapist, are there any other tactics that you employ in your daily life to help you stay stress free?
Henson – I carry around a fidget toy 80% of my day. It helps with a lot of things. It helps with my ADHD, my anxiety, and it gives me something to do with my hands, so that I can still be paying attention to something while also doing what I need to be doing. I do still journal even though speaking helps me more. Since I’ve been journaling, it’s nice to see my progress happen on paper. I’ll look back and say, “Wow, you really have been getting better.” Knowing that progress isn’t linear at all. Sometimes I’ll have a good five days, and then one lower day, and it reminds me that it’s okay that I’m down today. It’s okay that today wasn’t my best day when I had a good past four days. It helps me know that I’m still doing better and making progress.
HokieSports – What advice do you have for young athletes who may be in a similar position, facing different things, but are hesitant to seek help?
Henson – The best advice I can give is to get the help you need. It wasn’t like the first person I saw was the person for me. Even jumping into it a little bit and just talking about it can go such a long way. Asking for help is not a weakness at all. Taking medication if you need to is not a weakness at all. People are there for you, whether it feels like it at the time or not, and those people want you to get better. So, I think even a small step into getting the help you need is the biggest thing in the world.
HokieSports – Why do you think it’s important for athletes, especially female athletes, to talk about these things and be open, and try to get to a better place?
Henson – Personally, I talk about it and post about it because, at the end of the day, you’re not alone. Someone else is dealing with the same things you’re dealing with. Some people are in a similar mental state that you’re in. It’s nice to have the conversation and break the stigma. It is okay to have mental health struggles, and I think talking about it makes it seem more normal. Especially when you talk about it with your peers. It’s like, “Oh, you feel that way too? I thought I was the only one who felt that way.”
HokieSports – What messages do you hope that fans and the Hokie community will take away from this conversation?
Henson – Asking for help is not a weakness. It’s okay not to be okay, it truly is. You don’t have to force yourself to be okay when you’re around the right people, and it’s really okay to talk about mental health.
HokieSports – Looking ahead, how do you want to continue to use your platform to help educate and raise awareness for mental health and suicide prevention?
Henson – Right now, I’m working on doing these two-minute stories on this app for athletes. I get to tell my story and give an inspirational quote in there or something like that every single day, and that’s in the works right now, which I’m really excited for because that’s pretty much what I want to do.
I think I want it to cross the right people. I always say, “If I can help just one person, it means the world to me.” It only takes a little bit. The only reason I started doing it is because I would see other people post about it, and I would think, “That actually really made my day.” I just hope to do the same thing for other people.