About Me

Hi there,

My name is Michael Nolt and I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in the state of Montana. I have lived in Montana my whole life, and in that life I have always been connected to counseling in some sort of way. Whether it was in academic leadership, peer mediation, or simply being the one who people would come to for support during difficult times, I have always been a counselor at heart. All of these experiences ultimately led me to where I am now with an opportunity to give back to my community. These experiences have also shown me the value of human relationships, which I believe is the foundation for living a healthy and meaningful life.

I possess a Bachelor's Degree in Applied Psychology, as well as a Master's Degree in Marriage & Family Counseling from Montana State University. Prior to launching my private practice in March 2021, I spent years working in a community mental health clinic as a behavioral health provider and in a licensed mental health agency as a clinician working with individuals, couples, and families.

When I'm not in the office, you can probably find me adventuring in nature with my family and dog, fly fishing, or creating new recipes in my kitchen.

Education and Certifications

Bachelor's of Science in Applied Psychology (2016)

Montana State University - Bozeman

Master's of Science in Counseling (2019)

Montana State University - Bozeman

Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Montana (LCPC)

December 2020 - Present

National Certified Counselor (NCC)

August 2019 - Present

Gottman Method Couples Therapy (Level 2)

November 2019 - Present

Trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

January 2020 - Present

My Approach

Irvin Yalom once said, "It is the relationship that heals." I believe that the relationship between client and counselor is the foundation for therapeutic change and thus is the single most important aspect of the therapeutic process.

I like the way that Dr. Russ Harris describes the process of counseling in terms of two mountains. The client climbs one mountain, and I climb the other. Each client has been climbing their mountain for their entire life. During the climb, each client has come across moments when they feel lost, when they have been hurt, and when they have overcome challenges. Meanwhile, I am climbing my mountain as well. In doing so, I am able to look over at the client's mountain from a different perspective to help them navigate and find solutions for difficult parts of the climb as they occur (and perhaps even before). Thus, my goal becomes your goal: reaching the top of the mountain as pain free as possible!

Individuals

My approach to counseling individuals is largely informed by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Through CBT, I look to help clients make improvements to their mental health through challenging and changing unhealthy and maladaptive thinking and behavioral patterns. This is supported by helping clients develop and make use of emotional regulation strategies that allow for authentic experiencing of emotions over the use of suppression or avoidance tendencies. I also enjoy making use of other modalities including Attachment Theory and Mindfulness-Based therapies. Attachment-informed work helps clients understand how learned beliefs and behaviors from their early formative years can influence their adult relational selves and how they may form more secure relationships in the present. Mindfulness encourages clients to be fully present in their daily lives without being excessively focused on past or future events or overly reactive to what goes on around them.

Learn More About Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Learn More About Attachment Theory

Learn More About Mindfulness-Based Therapy

Couples

My primary approach to marriage/couples counseling is informed by the work of Drs. John and Julie Gottman of the Gottman Institute in Seattle, WA. Through decades of research and study, John and Julie created a foundational theory for creating and maintaining healthy relationships. Their theory focuses on building relationships through creating a culture of fondness and admiration, turning towards each other's bids for connection rather than away, managing conflict through active listening, shared influence, and perspective taking, and creating shared meaning in the relationship. My goal is to support clients in making improvements and repairs in their relationships while also navigating the "Four Horsemen" of Criticism, Contempt, Defensiveness, and Stonewalling that further fuel conflict.

I also find that including education and concepts/techniques from attachment-based science and Dr. Sue Johnson's Emotion-Focused couples therapy can be incredibly beneficial to the couples counseling process.

Learn More About Gottman Method