Dr. Heather Kiefer - Assistant Director of Mental Health & Performance - Staff Directory

Staff Directory

Dr. Heather Kiefer

Title:
Assistant Director of Mental Health & Performance
Email:

Heather Kiefer joined Duke Athletics in 2025 as the Assistant Director of Mental Health & Performance. In her role, Kiefer provides clinical and performance psychology services to student-athletes and serves as a consultant to coaches, medical staff and administrators on issues related to mental health and well-being. She oversees individual and team consultations, facilitates team workshops and supports multidisciplinary care and crisis intervention efforts.

Before arriving at Duke, Kiefer served as an Athletic Psychologist at the University of Nebraska, where she worked with both Olympic and revenue sports. She coordinated team performance workshops, supervised doctoral trainees, and contributed to interdisciplinary care teams. Her previous experience includes clinical roles at the University of Iowa and Texas Christian University, and she has provided sport psychology services across multiple Division I programs through training and residency roles.

A licensed psychologist and Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC), Kiefer earned her Ph.D. and M.S. in Counseling Psychology from the University of North Texas, with a concentration in Sport and Performance Psychology. She also holds a master’s degree in Educational Psychology from Florida State University and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from James Madison University, where she was a Division I softball student-athlete.

Updated on December 5, 2025