The Clinical Sports Counselor

The Intersection between Mental Health, Well-Being, & Performance Excellence

Welcome High-Acheivers, Perfectionists, Former& Current Athletes, Overthinkers & Deep Feelers

You've likely mastered the art of pushing through — but somewhere along the way, the pressure started to outweigh the fulfillment. You overthink, you feel everything, and you're no stranger to the chaos and absurdity that life tends to throw your way. Whether you're an athlete managing the mental demands of performance or someone who simply wants to feel more at peace with who you are, you've come to the right place. Here, we slow down, become present with ourselves, and do the kind of work that actually moves the needle — in every area of life.

Here's the truth — you can't perform your best when you're running on empty, and you can't fully heal when you're ignoring what drives you. Most people treat mental health and performance as two separate things. But the athlete who can't quiet their mind knows they're connected. So does the high achiever who's exhausted by their own standards. Mental health and performance excellence aren't at odds — they feed each other. And when we stop treating them as separate and start addressing them together, everything shifts — how you feel, how you show up, and how you perform.

The Intersection

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Meet Dr. Hunter Ward…

Dr. Hunter Ward brings a distinctive combination of clinical training and licensure, specialization in sport & performance psychology, and personal athletic experience that differientiates him. As a Licensed Counselor and Certified Mental Performance Consultant, Hunter has spent the last decade investing in education, training, and applied experience so that he can show up fully for the people he works with. 

In addition to his training and education, he knows firsthand what it means to pursue your potential as an athlete. As a former collegiate athlete, he experienced the pressure and demands of sport: the stress of living up to expectations, the lingering fear of setbacks, and the challenge of managing life on and off the field as a student-athlete. Through these experiences, he has developed a passion and commitment for helping others pursue their potential while balancing their well-being and mental health.

Hunter's experience spans individual and group counseling, performance environments, and work alongside athletes and coaches. Regardless of the setting, his focus remains the same: helping people better understand themselves, closing the gap between where they are and where they want to be, and living with greater intention and meaning. His clients range from athletes navigating the mental demands of performance to individuals who simply feel stuck. His work bridges mental health, well-being, and performance excellence — a reflection of his belief that the three are fundamentally intertwined.

At the end of the day, his intention is about helping people live and perform in a way that feels true to who they are.

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Get to know him a bit more!
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Curious to know more about Hunter?

Former & Current Client Experiences with Hunter…

  • “I enjoyed that Hunter let me jump down rabbit holes, and he would follow me through them. I felt very heard. I also enjoyed how we were able to map things out, sometimes visually. My thoughts feel less jumbled. The emphasis on understanding over judgment has been very profound for me.”

  • “I began my therapy journey with Hunter in March 2022 and I was terrified, partly because he is a man, and honestly, trusting men was not my strong suit. My original goal was simply to have better relationships with men. I had no idea how many revelations about myself were waiting on the other side of that decision.

    My first year I was closed off, surface level, and afraid of outcomes. Every time I pushed Hunter away he stepped in anyway, patient, encouraging, and genuinely safe. My first real breakthrough session in 2023 was one of the hardest things I had ever done. Hunter helped me understand that it is okay to feel, and I walked away knowing there was so much buried within me and that this journey was going to take everything I had.

    Hunter was one of my first healthy goodbyes when he took a break to finish school. I felt sad, but I learned that people come and go and things always work out. When we reconnected after five months I was nervous but ready to go deeper. He suggested group therapy knowing I didn't trust easily. It took four months but I finally joined and that decision changed everything.

    Through individual and group work I learned more about myself, my nervous system, and how I show up in the world. There were moments I wanted to quit, not because of Hunter, but because my problems felt too big. He always reminded me this is a journey and that I was further along than I gave myself credit for.”

  • “The 2020 pandemic has done numbers on all of us, and as a COVID survivor with a new autoimmune disorder to show for it, I’m no exception. Budding young adults like me are normally expected to discover and grow into who we are during this stage of our life, but in this modern age we’re expected to do it while coping with ongoing emotional, physical, and cultural trauma. Even before any of that had hit, I spent the latter half of grade school unable to fathom that I would ever be worthy of treating myself kindly. The genuine self-love Hunter has cultivated in me in just two years is undeniable evidence of his superb professionalism and skill. Hunter has so far guided me through psychosis, disability, depression, and social anxiety, and still remains the best therapist I’ve yet had in my life-long mental health journey.”

  • “I started therapy with Hunter a little over two years ago now, and this was my first introduction into therapy overall. In the beginning I was very nervous because I didn’t know what to expect but I knew that it would be difficult and painful to force myself to explore things that I normally kept pretty locked up. After losing my brother in 2022, avoiding somewhat became my status quo until the repercussions of that started regularly impacting my life.

    From the initial intake phone call to the first session in person, Hunter made me feel comfortable and didn’t push me too much, and it felt easier than I thought it would to share. Over time and as we’ve gotten to know each other, Hunter quickly learned about some of those sides of me that try to hide or avoid, and he will push me a bit if he senses that it is needed and I can handle it. It’s nice for it to not be completely up to me every time, so it’s like he is in the boat with me and helping row rather than just guiding its direction. I haven’t experienced other therapists for individual sessions, but I feel that I got very lucky because I know it can be difficult to find the right one.

    Hunter truly cares about each of his clients and you can sense that in every session - he consistently creates a judgement-free zone and reassures me that whatever is bothering me or impacting me that I want to talk about, no matter how deep or surface-level it may feel to vocalize, is important to discuss. He is also always looking out for me - about a year into individual therapy he suggested I try out group therapy to further help with the trouble I can encounter with accessing and then expressing what I’m feeling. I have participated in that ever since and have found so much value that I never would have known about on my own. Most recently, Hunter helped me navigate exploring a couples therapist.

    These are just some of the examples that show how he remembers each session and is constantly looking out for you. I couldn’t be more grateful and I truly feel like Hunter sees me and the full picture.”

  • “What has my experience with Hunter been like? The short answer is that I know myself better. And I understand myself and because of that I am able to be kinder to myself. Hunter is the perfect companion for that journey and there is no way I could have learned all those things about myself without him.

    As soon as I walked into my first session, I felt comfortable, supported, and heard. Hunter has a special intuitive sense of when to listen, when to reflect my own ideas back to me, and when to gently suggest new ideas. So many times during our conversations I was dumbfounded by a connection Hunter made between two seemingly disparate things I had said, sometimes weeks apart, and often without me even remembering. I have never felt that Hunter didn’t understand and remember absolutely everything I have ever told him.

    I was drawn to Hunter because the idea of taking my existence seriously was something I found compelling. I truly believe that Hunter delivers on this message and equips you for the lifelong journey that we are all on. He has made me excited for that journey! One of the things I have historically struggled with is always focusing on the “next”, to the exclusion of the present. That will be a battle I am always fighting, but Hunter has given me the tools I need to do so and helped me realize that maybe that tension is there for a reason and is useful in itself.

    I have often found myself feeling overwhelmed in therapy because we are talking about things that are so fundamental, so basic to ourselves, and also so abstract. It sometimes feels like I’m tipping the contents of my brain onto the floor and trying to figure out how to put them back into the box. Hunter is zeroed in to my experience and I can tell that he knows where I’m at. He encourages and guides you through. Deciding to see Hunter will go down as one of my life-changing decisions. I will be forever grateful to Hunter for what he has done for me.”

  • “From deep crying sessions to anxiety, to stepping out of group, to sharing my biggest dreams, Hunter made all of it safe. His approach is professional, compassionate, holistic, and deeply human. After four years I can say without hesitation that Hunter is one of the best therapists I have ever encountered. His presence calms your nervous system because he is genuinely safe and genuinely invested in your growth.

    I have walked through some of the hardest moments of my life during our work together. Having Hunter as my therapist, someone who truly hears, listens, comprehends, and helps me communicate my own heart back to myself, has been one of the greatest gifts of this season. I am forever grateful.

    If you are seeking therapy as a new journey I highly recommend Hunter because you will go through levels of learning yourself and the relationships in your life. He truly is a gem to the therapy and psychology world.”

  • “One of the oldest maxims of philosophy is “know thyself.” It’s a simple statement, but upon reflection, one of the hardest things to do in life it seems.

    I learned in therapy that the most helpful therapist is the one who simply acts as a mirror to yourself — someone who repeats statements in a way that helps you to hear yourself in a different light, or someone who helps to shine light on the parts of yourself that are there with you, but maybe not all that clear or present to you.

    That’s Hunter for me. In the two years I’ve had the pleasure to do therapy with him, he has helped me to realize who I am on a deeper level. He has helped me to see different parts of myself that, upon reflection, were always there in me, but never fully integrated into myself and how I interact with the world. He did all of this in an environment that was nothing but patient, kind, and supportive.

    I am thankful that one day a while ago I mustered up the courage to fill out an inquiry form for therapy, and it was Hunter who first reached out to me.”