How Davidson College is addressing mental health concerns for student-athletes

Madison See sits across from a student-athlete in her office at Davidson College, listening as they describe the pressure of balancing academics and competition.

But unlike many counselors, See isn’t merely professionally trained to help, she’s lived it. The same hallways where she now conducts sessions as Davidson’s director of mental health for athletics are the same ones she once walked as a soccer player, and later as a coach. She also battled a personal crisis at Davidson.

“The staff meetings I have every week are in the same building where I went to therapy my senior year,” See says. “It’s never lost on me the journey that I’ve had to be in this role.”

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and See is busier than ever, responsible for the psychological wellness of nearly 500 Davidson student-athletes. Her job is part of a broader shift in college athletics, where mental health is finally being treated as essential.

A 2022 NCAA study on well-being for student-athletes indicated “the number of student-athletes reporting mental health concerns” is up to two times higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

And as more student-athletes speak up, institutions are expanding their resources to meet the rising demand.

When injury disrupts athletic identity

See grew up driven and competitive. At Davidson, she carved out her identity as a soccer player, where it became more than a sport. Soccer defined her daily routine, her social circle and her sense of purpose.

“Up until that point, I thought mental health was something that other people dealt with,” See recalls. “I just walked around here like, ‘All right, I gotta perform. I gotta show up. I gotta do things well.’”

Then came the turning point: a junior-year concussion that changed everything.

“It was just a standard, routine play,” See said. “Ball came across. I went to head it and just miscleared it on the top of my head.”

What seemed like a typical sports injury eventually became more serious. The symptoms didn’t subside after the expected two to three weeks. Instead, they intensified.

“Post-concussion, it just felt like my world had exploded,” she said. “I wasn’t able to go to class, wasn’t able to sleep, could barely get out of bed.”

The concussion forced See to confront mental health issues she had never acknowledged. Her identity as an athlete — the foundation upon which she had built her college experience — was crumbling.

“It got to the point where I said, ‘I don’t think I want to do this life anymore,’” she said. “I’m just in so much pain. I can’t think clearly. I can’t focus. I can’t even get my schoolwork done.

“That was probably the lowest moment of my life — just sitting in that dorm room and contemplating, do I want to be alive tomorrow?”

With encouragement from a teammate, See eventually sought help from a campus counselor.

“At the end of our six sessions, I was like, ‘Wow, if somebody can change my life in six sessions, I think I want to do this for my career,’” she said.

Bridging athletics and mental health

After graduation, See remained connected to Davidson athletics, serving as an assistant coach for women’s soccer while pursuing her master’s degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. During those years of coaching, she discovered her calling wasn’t in game strategy but in her conversations and connections with players.

“I’ve seen it from the athlete side. I’ve seen it from the injury recovery side. And I’ve seen it from a coach’s standpoint,” See says. This unique perspective gives her credibility with the athletes she now counsels.

In January 2020, See opened a private practice and began contract work with Davidson’s athletic department. Conversations about creating a full-time position for mental health support gained momentum, and when the position was officially established in 2024, See applied and got the job.

“The administration has done a tremendous job getting the funding for it, getting the space for it, just being vocal and advocates for mental health care,” she said.

Creating trust through shared experience

Now, as director of mental health for athletics, See’s days are filled with one-on-one sessions, team workshops and collaborations with coaches and student-athletes. Her dual background as a former athlete and a mental health professional allows her to bridge historically separate worlds.

“I joke that I have a lot of street cred with the athletes because of my tenure here,” See said. “I can say, ‘Hey, are you studying in ‘base libs’ for finals?’ And they know that I know what that means in the library.”

This shared language and experience create an immediate foundation of trust. One Davidson student-athlete, who remains anonymous per institutional compliance guidelines, speaks to this unique connection: “One of the biggest reasons I was able to trust her was because she had been in my shoes as a scholar athlete at Davidson. She knew firsthand the pressure of Division I athletics and all that comes with it, all while managing life at one of the most rigorous academic institutions in the country.”

Gayle Fulks, Davidson’s women’s basketball coach, has worked closely with See and witnessed her impact firsthand.

“I got great feedback from our players about their sessions with her and just how much she really meant to them,” Fulks said. “We’re pretty open — not about the content of those conversations — but just with how mental health is. She’s a great resource.”

See’s approach extends beyond traditional therapy sessions. She attends practices, travels with teams to games and develops customized mental performance programs. This integration into the athletic environment helps normalize mental health discussions and reduces stigma.

For Fulks’s basketball team, See developed a five-week sports performance curriculum. It focused on leadership, communication, and confidence — areas Fulks saw as essential to her team’s growth.

“I think being confident is really important,” Fulks said. “As women, we’re probably a little bit more negative than we should be. ... Women — not all women, but a lot of women — are on the other end of the spectrum, where they lack belief in themselves.”

The program yielded measurable results, with team members reporting increased communication confidence during high-pressure situations.

College athletes and mental health challenges

See’s work represents a cultural shift in collegiate athletics. According to a 2023 NCAA report, approximately 30% of student-athletes report feeling overwhelmed, while 25% experience exhaustion from the mental demands of their sport.

Yet, historically, mental health resources specifically tailored to athletes have been limited. However, the pressures on today’s college athletes are multifaceted; performance expectations, social media scrutiny, academic demands and now name, image and likeness (NIL) considerations create a complex psychological landscape that previous generations didn’t face.

Having someone who understands athletic culture and mental health science is invaluable. See speaks both languages fluently because she’s lived in both worlds.

“I think that gives me such compassion and empathy,” See says. “When athletes walk in the door, I know the courage it takes to show up and to give this a chance.”

Future of mental health in college sports

See’s ultimate goal is building a complete mental health staff for Davidson athletics, recognizing that the need will only grow.

“I want to make sure that we’re creating programming and having an environment that’s benefiting our athletes directly so that they feel more equipped and lighter when they leave,” See says of her vision.

But even as a department of one, her impact is profound.

As See walks past the soccer field where her journey began, she reflects on the unexpected path that led her here. The student-athlete who once played on that field now protects something far more precious: the mental well-being of young people following in her footsteps.

“I would love for people to utilize therapy, and athletes across all institutions to have the courage and confidence to step into an office,” See says, “because I think it will change not only their four years, but also their life — like it did mine.”

A Davidson student-athlete who worked with See through personal challenges offers this closing perspective: “There’s no quick fix for mental health — it takes work and intention,” the athlete said. “Each week, I chose to show up and try to better myself, and that choice changed me. To any Davidson athlete struggling: take the first step. Talk to Madison. It’s hard at first, but better than staying silent.”