Mackenzie Nolan, MS, LAMFT

Mackenzie Nolan

Therapist

I am a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist and I’ve been providing therapy since 2022. I have had the honor to meet and work with individuals and families of all ages on a wide range of challenges related to managing relationships, conflict resolution, life transitions, traumatic experiences, anxiety management, mood disorders, and behavioral concerns.

My experience includes working with all parts of a family system and I integrate relational work into most of my sessions - meaning I’m always thinking about who you are in relation to your people and how you are influenced by the people, culture, society, and systems around you. I endeavor to work collaboratively with each person that enters my office to find a flow and structure for our work that works for everyone and helps you to meet your goals. If you or your family member enjoys or uses play as a way to communicate, I offer both directive and non-directive play therapy methods. This might include the use of sand tray, mindful coloring, games, books, pretend play, or figurines.

While I have experience with clients of all ages presenting with a wide variety of concerns, my current focus is primarily in working with children, teens, and families with concerns related to relationships with family or peers, school challenges, difficult or traumatic experiences, life transitions, and parenting. I have specific interest in neuroscience and how we can understand ourselves and others through this lens, as well as the impact of trauma, particularly childhood experiences of trauma.

How I show up in sessions is consistent with who I am outside of the therapeutic space. I am a heterosexual cisgender female who uses she/her pronouns. I value offering a welcoming and safe environment for all, both within and outside of the therapy room. In my free time, I love to spend time outside in all of the seasons, often trying out new state parks and attending a wide variety of music-related events. Most of the time you will find me hanging out with my family and friends.

“Inviting our thoughts and feelings into awareness allows us to learn from them rather than be driven by them.”

-Daniel Siegel

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What I believe about therapy:

  • People do not live in isolation. Viewing an individual within the systems in which they exist is necessary within the therapeutic process.

  • Building insight and resilience are goals for every person that walks in the room.

  • The relationship between therapist and client is a major predictor of change. Finding the right fit is one of the first steps in the change process.

Approach

My foundational education is in marriage and family therapy, and as such I was trained with a systemic lens. I think it’s important to view an individual within the various systems they are a part of and the ways this affects how they show up in the world. I use a collaborative approach with everyone I work with, including children, as I think it’s important for everyone to have a say in their change process. From a theoretical stance, I operate from a mix of collaborative, structural, narrative, attachment, cognitive-behavioral, and emotionally focused theories, all dependent on what each person needs.

Trainings

I am excited to continue learning throughout my career! I continue to grow my experience in the field via reading (and listening!) to many books, formal consultation, networking with colleagues, and at training events.

    • Prepare/Enrich

    • Attachment, Regulation, and Competency (ARC) Training

    • Treating Stressed Out Couples - Elizabeth Earnshaw

    • Trauma Treatment Certification Training - Janina Fisher

    • How Process Based Therapy is Revolutionizing Mental Health Treatment - Joseph Ciarrochi and Diana Hill

    • The Living Legacy of Trauma- Janina Fisher

    • The Body Keeps the Score - Bessel van der Kolk

    • The Myth of Normal - Gabor Mate

    • The Whole-Brain Child- Daniel Siegel

    • No Drama Discipline- Daniel Siegel

    • Will I Ever Be Good Enough? Healing the Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers- Karyl McBride

    • Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents- Lindsay Gibson

    • Disentangling from Emotionally Immature People- Lindsay Gibson

Experience

In 2021, I completed my bachelors in Psychology from St. Cloud State University. During my time in my undergraduate program, I completed an internship at a counseling clinic where I was able to sit in with a licensed therapist during her sessions and truly learn what the therapeutic process can offer for so many at various stages in their lives.

I began working on my masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy in 2021, continuing at St. Cloud State. During my graduate program, I completed a year-long internship providing therapy for complex family systems with children as young as 4 in their homes, often struggling with past and ongoing trauma and significant mental health concerns. It was during this internship that I learned the importance of working from a systemic perspective.

I graduated with my masters degree in 2023, earning my associate therapist license about 6 months post-graduation. After graduation, I transitioned into an outpatient mental health clinic where I continued to work with individuals and families with a wide variety of concerns and learning to expand the work I do with children and teens, often incorporating play and art into the therapeutic process.

Now in 2024, I find myself at Grounding Space Therapy where I will be able to continue collaborating with children, teens, and adults to support the changes they want to see in their lives.