A little bit more about me…

A smiling man with curly hair, glasses, and a beard, wearing a rust-colored button-up shirt, outdoors with greenery in the background.

E.d.D, LPC, CMPC

Dr. Hunter Ward

Ever since I can remember, sports and being an athlete has been my entire life. Like many others, my dream growing up was to become a professional athlete — and I had poured everything into making it happen. As you can probably guess, that dream didn't come true. My career as an athlete came to an abrupt end, not from injury or lack of opportunity, but from something I never expected: I had lost the love and passion for the game I had spent my whole life pursuing.

What many people didn't know were the mental challenges I had been carrying for years leading up to that point. Whether it was the internal pressure I put on myself or the weight of expectations I perceived others had of me, the anxiety and dread that came with competing had slowly drained the joy out of the sport I once loved. But the mental side was only half the battle. The other half was trying to understand myself as a developing adult — making sense of my emotions, my identity, and the relationships that existed both inside and outside of sport.

These challenges accumulated over time until I reached a point where my mental and emotional capacity was limiting my physical ability. And yet, at the time, support for the mental side of sport was neither accessible nor prioritized. Like many athletes, I had grown up in a culture that minimized or ignored the emotional realities of competing — and I endured those years largely on my own. That experience never left me.

As the conversation around mental health continues to shift and more athletes open up to psychological support, I want to be at the front of that charge. My intention is to provide the kind of access to mental health and mental performance services that I never had — so that others don't have to face the challenges of sport and life alone.

When it comes to supporting you in your journey, my goal is to do more than just improve your performance or reduce your symptoms. My focus is on understanding you as a whole person — your story, your relationships, the environments you live and compete in, and the pressures that shape how you think and feel. I don't believe people exist in isolation, and whenever possible, my work extends beyond the individual session and into the spaces where real life happens. My hope is that together, we can build the kind of clarity, resilience, and self-understanding that carries you through sport and far beyond it.

Outside of my professional roles…

You’ll find me logging miles on a run, attempting a new recipe in the kitchen, or just enjoying the chaos of family life with my wife and son. I like to keep things moving, whether its working on this or learning that — it can be hard for me to sit still, though I'm always working on finding that balance.

A young boy with a dark blue baseball cap with a red 'D' logo, wearing a dark blue shirt, holding a baseball bat over his shoulder, smiling slightly, with a black background.
Young boy in a green basketball uniform with the number 20 and the word 'HUNT' on it, holding a basketball, wearing athletic shoes.
A young male football player in a green and black uniform with the name 'HUNT' and number 42, holding a football, with a football helmet on the ground at his feet, kneeling on one knee with a clenched fist.

I help people understand themselves within the relationships and systems that shape them — so they can create meaningful change that brings them closer to the life and performance they know they're capable of.


Education

Doctor of Education in Sport and Performance Psychology (EdD)

University of Western States, Portland, Oregon

Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MS)

University of Western States, Portland, Oregon

Master of Science in Kinesiology, Specialization in Sports Psychology

A.T. Still University, Kirksville, Missouri

Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology

Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN


Licensure & Certifications

Licensed Professional Counselor, State of Texas, License #92498

Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, State of North Carolina, License #22744

Licensed Professional Counselor, State of South Carolina, License #11669

Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC)