About Me
Hi there,
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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 have shown me the value of human relationships, which I believe is the foundation for living a healthy and meaningful life. Simply put, we don't get by alone.
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I possess a Bachelor's Degree in Applied Psychology, as well as a Master's Degree in Marriage & Family Counseling both 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.
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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
Relational Life Therapy (RLT)
*Currently working towards Certification
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.
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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. While doing so, I will balance directed-ness with warmth and positive regard.
Individuals
My approach to counseling individuals is informed by a handful of different modalities that include:
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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.
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While it is primarily a couples modality, Relational Life Therapy (RLT) works great for individuals as well who have experienced attachment/relationship trauma through helping them identify maladaptive coping behaviors and implementing more wise and grounded relational behaviors.
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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.
Couples
My approach to marriage/couples counseling is informed by two primary modalities:
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Gottman Method is based on the work of Drs. John and Julie Gottman, founders of the Gottman Institute. Through decades of research and study, John and Julie created a foundational theory for creating and maintaining healthy relationships. Their theory focuses improving 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.
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Relational Life Therapy (RLT) is based on the work of Terry Real, founder of the Relational Life Institute. RLT is informed by a combination of psychotherapy, family therapy, and trauma therapy and works to create deep, long-lasting change through direct confrontation and change of family/cultural/societal systems that inhibit healthy relational behavior and skills. RLT works great for relationships in which either/both partners or spouses have history of attachment/relational trauma.