Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy
MA in Counseling Psychology – University of St. Thomas
BA in Psychology – St. Olaf College
Athletic Counselor, Mental Performance Consultant
Nate Penz, MA, LPCC, is a mental health professional specializing in sport and performance psychology. Nate uses a relational and collaborative approach while working with individuals of all ages. He strives to empower individuals and improve performance on and off the playing surface.
Nate is from Rochester, Minn., and earned his Bachelor’s degree in psychology from St. Olaf College. During college, Nate provided individual quarterback lessons, instructing athletes on fundamentals while also teaching skills related to overcoming adversity, enhancing leadership, building focus, fostering teamwork, and developing a growth mindset. After completing his undergraduate degree, Nate attended the University of St. Thomas and earned his master’s degree in Counseling Psychology. While in graduate school, Nate worked for a nonprofit organization where he planned, implemented, and managed recreational activities for individuals with developmental disabilities. After graduating, Nate worked as a generalist for an outpatient mental health clinic, where he treated a wide variety of mental health and performance concerns.
Nate’s theoretical orientation is integrative and rooted in person-centered theory. He utilizes various concepts and interventions from Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), such as thought challenging and reframing, goal setting, and cultivating self-compassion.
Nate played football, basketball, baseball, and golf throughout high school. At St. Olaf College, he played quarterback and was a two-time team captain. In his free time, Nate enjoys spending time with his family and friends, learning new hobbies, and playing basketball, golf, and a variety of instruments such as the piano, drums, guitar, and ukulele.
Anxiety, Depression, Focus, Motivation, Injury Recovery, Communication, Conflict Resolution, Leadership
Nate provides individual sport performance and mental health counseling to athletes of all ages and skill levels, including high-level collegiate and professional athletes. He also leads workshop series for sports teams who strive to create a high-performing culture. In addition, Nate plays an integral role in psychological profiling for NFL and NBA teams. He evaluates draft prospects on their motivators, distress patterns, resilience, confidence, and character, and provides teams with coaching recommendations and mental skills training programs. Nate’s sport and performance expertise extends into the business space, where he helps coach leadership teams of multimillion-dollar companies.
