Mat Barbosa(He/Him/His)

Mat Barbosa is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with the private practice providing telehealth throughout Massachusetts (and for those close to the border in RI/NH who are able to physically be in MA during appointments). Thoughts and emotions are normal parts of being human. Mat’s clients, whether homeless or wealthy, uneducated or have doctoral degrees..they all have at least one thing in common: they are all humans who experience difficult thoughts and feelings.

Mat knows the decision to come to counseling can be difficult. Taking that leap into the unknown can be scary. Mat believes an individual decides to come to therapy because they have tried everything they can think of to improve their situation but have become stuck. The goal in therapy is to assist the client in becoming ‘unstuck’ and taking steps towards a more rich and meaningful life. Mat will work with you from a down to earth, non judgmental, and accepting stance.

Mat’s therapeutic approach is a behavior therapy (like CBT) called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) although he uses ideas from other therapies based on what the individual needs. In ACT, an aim in therapy is to help you with getting your life going in the direction you want it to be going while also helping you to better handle the obstacles along the way. This is done through a goal-oriented approach tied to YOUR values, not anyone else's.

Mat also has training in exposure and response prevention (ERP) which is the gold standard for treatment of OCD and phobias (including social phobia previously termed “social anxiety disorder”).  It does require hard work, commitment, and stepping out of your comfort zone. In doing ERP from an ACT approach, Mat will work with you on this and move at your pace.