Consultant Profile

Dr. Aaron Goodson is a member of Duke University Athletics' Department of Mental Health and Performance serving as Director, a promotion from his Assistant Director role that he began in July 2022.

Prior to this position, he worked as an Assistant Director since July 2019 and Associate Director since March 2021 before stepping into the role of Assistant Athletic Director of CSP in May 2021 at Mississippi State University (MSU).

Prior to his time at MSU, he served as an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) where his research focused on collegiate student-athlete psychosocial development, performance enhancement and mental health. Additionally, Dr. Goodson’s research focused on issues of diversity in sport, exercise and performance psychology.

Dr. Goodson earned a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from Davidson College, then completed his graduate education at West Virginia University (WVU) where he earned a master's degree in clinical mental health counseling, a graduate certificate in university teaching and completed his doctorate in sport, exercise and performance psychology. He maintains the credentials of Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS), National Certified Counselor (NCC), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) and Board Certified TeleMental Health (BC-TMH) Provider.

Clinically, Dr. Goodson was trained in Impact Therapy, which is an eclectic approach to providing therapy to clients. This puts the client at the center of their therapeutic process and allows for them to serve as the guide in their own treatment and growth. Impact therapy includes approaches that emphasize the relationships among thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Beyond impact therapy, Dr. Goodson uses aspects of mindfulness – specifically acceptance, awareness and commitment – in his therapeutic approaches.