He earned his Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Oklahoma State University. His experience with Indian boarding schools began with working as a mental health professional in a children’s residential treatment center on the Navajo Nation. He went on to lead a multi-member research team within Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma to investigate trauma with survivors of Indian boarding schools and authored Constructing Meaning to the Indian Boarding School Experience. Dr. Colmant often lectures on Indian boarding school issues at the national and international level and frequently serves as expert reviewer on Indian boarding school research for the Journal of American Indian Education.