Rate My Professor Rebecca Koltz

Rebecca Koltz, Ph.D., LCPC, NCC, serves as Professor and Department Head of the Department of Counseling within Montana State University’s College of Education, Health and Human Development. She joined the faculty in 2009, advancing to Associate Professor, full Professor in 2021, and Department Head in May 2019. Koltz earned her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Counseling from Idaho State University, where her dissertation examined the experiences of live supervision during pre-practicum counseling techniques courses. Her professional credentials include Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and National Certified Counselor. Throughout her tenure at MSU, she has focused on addressing mental health challenges in rural Montana through innovative counselor training and research initiatives.

Koltz’s research specializations include prevention and well-being across the life span, particularly aging families, counselor education and supervision, rural counseling, wellness practices, and integrating creative arts such as eco-art and adventure-based activities into therapeutic interventions. She has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, with key works including "Parallel Process and Isomorphism: A Model for Decision Making in the Supervisory Triad" (2012, The Family Journal), "ACE: Three Adventure-Based Activities to Improve Family Communication" (2021, The Family Journal), "Eco-art Activities for Older Adults: Reducing Stress and Reframing Aging" (2022, The Family Journal), "Preparing for Place: A Case Study of Rural Counselor Training" (2024), and "The Role of Creativity with Caregiving" (2024). Her scholarship has accumulated over 500 citations on Google Scholar. As principal investigator for the Rural Mental Health Pathways (RMHP3/4) project, she oversees more than $6 million in federal grants to prepare counselors for rural practice. Koltz serves on the editorial board of the Journal of School Counseling and has contributed to program reaccreditation efforts by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). She received the Montana State University Distinguished Faculty Award in 2023 and was nominated for the Excellence in Online Teaching Award in 2012. Her leadership enhances mental health services and counselor preparation in underserved rural and tribal communities.