Matthew Tapia
You don't have to keep carrying this alone. Whether you're navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, ADHD, autism, or a life that feels overwhelming: relief is possible, and you deserve support that truly fits who you are. I’m Matthew “Matt” Tapia, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Arizona and California and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. I provide online therapy for adults navigating ADHD, autism, anxiety, and burnout.
Online therapy for ADHD, autism, and anxiety in Arizona and California. Practical, neurodiversity-affirming support for adults.
You may feel drained by everyday demands, caught in worry, or frustrated that familiar advice does not fit how your mind works. You may also be balancing your own needs with parenting or caregiving. We can work together to understand these experiences and find practical ways to make daily life more manageable. My approach combines attention to emotions and relationships with strategies for coping, communication, boundaries, and supportive routines. I draw on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills, adapting our work to your needs and priorities. We will choose goals that matter to you and regularly discuss what is helping. You can view my availability and schedule an online appointment through this Grow Therapy profile.
First session
What to Expect From Your First Therapy Session: Our first online therapy session is a chance to discuss what brings you to therapy, what matters to you, and whether working together feels like a good fit. We will explore current concerns, important relationships, strengths, and your hopes for change. We will also review confidentiality and how therapy works, discuss communication or sensory accommodations, and identify initial priorities. You can ask questions, share what has helped in the past, and tell me what you need to participate comfortably. We Start With You, Not a Checklist From the moment our session begins, the focus is entirely on you. We'll talk about what's been going on, what brought you to therapy right now, what's felt heavy lately, and what you're hoping life could look like on the other side of this work. Whether you're dealing with anxiety that won't quiet down, depression that makes it hard to get through the day, ADHD that affects your focus and relationships, trauma that keeps surfacing, or a life transition that's left you feeling unmoored, this is a space where all of it is welcome. I work with a wide range of clients: children (ages 6 and up), preteens, teens, adults, couples, and families. Many of my clients are neurodivergent: autistic individuals, those with ADHD, or people who've spent years feeling like their brain just works differently than everyone else's. If that's you, know that neurodivergent-affirming care is at the heart of everything I do. You don't need to mask here. You don't need to fit a mold. You just need to show up. Getting to Know Each Other Therapy only works when the relationship feels right and I take that seriously. Our first session is as much about you getting a feel for me as it is about me learning about you. I'll share a bit about who I am, how I work, and what my therapeutic style looks like in practice. I want you to leave our first session knowing whether this feels like the right fit, and I encourage you to ask any questions you have. There are no wrong questions. I'm Matt Tapia, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA): a combination that's genuinely rare. Most therapists come from one clinical tradition. I bring two: the relational, emotion-centered depth of marriage and family therapy, and the evidence-based, behavioral precision of applied behavior analysis (ABA). Together, these approaches allow me to meet you on both levels, processing what you feel and understanding and changing what you do. My Therapy Approach: Explained Simply During our first session, I'll walk you through the therapeutic approaches that inform my work so you understand what therapy with me actually looks like day to day. I draw from several evidence-based modalities, tailoring the combination to your specific needs: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps you stop fighting your difficult thoughts and feelings and instead learn to move alongside them, taking meaningful action toward the life you actually want, guided by your values rather than driven by fear or avoidance. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most well-researched approaches in mental health. It helps identify the thought patterns and beliefs that fuel anxiety, depression, and stress — and teaches you practical skills to challenge and shift them. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) builds powerful coping skills in four key areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. It's particularly effective for mood disorders, emotional dysregulation, and relationship challenges. Mindfulness-Based Therapy weaves present-moment awareness into our work — helping you slow down, tune into your experience, and respond to life's difficulties with greater clarity and intention rather than on autopilot. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) brings behavioral science into the room — helping us understand the function of behaviors, build positive patterns, and create sustainable change, particularly for neurodivergent clients and families. No single approach works for everyone, and I never force a one-size-fits-all model onto your experience. Our work together will always be collaborative, adaptive, and centered on what's actually helping you move forward. Covering the Important Practicalities Our first session also gives us the opportunity to take care of the important logistical and ethical groundwork that makes therapy safe and effective. We'll discuss: Informed consent: so you fully understand the nature of therapy and your rights as a client Confidentiality and its limits: what stays between us, and the specific circumstances where I'm legally or ethically required to act Risks and benefits of therapy: an honest conversation about what the process can look like, including the fact that growth is sometimes uncomfortable before it gets easier What to expect going forward: session frequency, how we'll track progress, and how we'll know therapy is working I believe transparency builds trust. You'll never be in the dark about what we're doing or why. Accessible Online Therapy Across Arizona and California All sessions are conducted via secure, HIPAA-compliant telehealth video , which means you can access expert therapy from the comfort of your home, your car, or wherever feels private and safe. Whether you're in Phoenix, Glendale, Scottsdale, Tucson, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or anywhere else across Arizona or California, quality mental health care is available to you without the commute. Online therapy removes one of the biggest barriers people face when seeking help. No waiting rooms, no scheduling around traffic, no geographic limitations, just consistent, compassionate care that fits your life. You Don't Have to Have It All Figured Out If you're not sure where to start or what to say in our first session, that's completely okay. Most people aren't. You don't need to have a clear diagnosis, a perfectly articulated problem, or any prior therapy experience. All you need is a willingness to show up and I'll meet you the rest of the way. Ready to take that first step? Reach out today to schedule your first session. Arizona and California clients welcome. Insurance accepted.
Strengths
What Makes My Approach Different, and Why It Works Every therapist has a style. What sets mine apart is a combination of things that are difficult to find in a single provider: rare dual credentials, a genuinely patient and adaptive approach, and a deep commitment to meeting each client exactly where they are and not where I think they should be. Here's what my clients consistently tell me, and what I believe makes our work together effective. Patience That Doesn't Waver One of the most common things clients share with me, sometimes with surprise, is how patient I am. Real therapeutic change takes time. It's rarely linear. There are breakthroughs, setbacks, slow weeks, and pivotal moments that shift everything. Through all of it, I remain steady. I don't rush the process, push an agenda, or make you feel like you're falling behind. You move at your pace, and I adjust with you every step of the way. This is especially meaningful for my neurodivergent clients: autistic individuals, those with ADHD, and people who've spent years in systems that moved too fast and expected too much. Patience isn't just a personality trait in my practice. It's a clinical commitment. A Myriad of Methods: Tailored to You No two people are the same, and no single therapeutic approach works for everyone. That's why I've invested deeply in building a broad, evidence-based toolkit that I can draw from fluidly depending on what you need. My approach integrates: - Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): for clients who are exhausted from fighting their own thoughts and feelings, ACT offers a powerful shift: learning to coexist with discomfort while moving toward a life driven by values, not fear. - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): one of the most extensively researched therapies available, CBT helps identify and restructure the thought patterns fueling anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and stress. It's practical, skill-focused, and highly effective. - Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): for clients dealing with emotional dysregulation, mood disorders, relationship challenges, or intense inner experiences, DBT builds concrete skills in mindfulness, distress tolerance, and emotional regulation. - Mindfulness-Based Therapy: woven throughout my work, mindfulness helps clients slow down, tune into the present moment, and respond to life's challenges with intention rather than reaction. - Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA): as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), I bring a level of behavioral precision to therapy that most clinicians simply can't offer. ABA helps us understand the function behind behaviors, build sustainable positive patterns, and create measurable, lasting change — particularly valuable for neurodivergent clients and families. - Motivational Interviewing: for clients who feel ambivalent about change or stuck between wanting things to be different and fearing what different might look like, motivational interviewing helps unlock internal motivation and build genuine readiness to move forward. - Person-Centered Therapy: at the foundation of everything I do is an unconditional belief in your capacity for growth. I follow your lead, honor your autonomy, and hold space for your experience without judgment. This isn't a checklist — it's a living, flexible approach that evolves as you do. What works in month one might shift by month six, and I stay attentive to what's actually serving your growth. Collaborative by Design Therapy isn't something I do *to* you, it's something we do *together*. I believe the therapeutic relationship itself is one of the most powerful agents of change, and that means showing up as a genuine partner in your process, not an authority delivering pronouncements from behind a clipboard. Clients describe our sessions as feeling like a real conversation — one where they feel genuinely involved in setting goals, choosing direction, and evaluating what's working. You always have a voice in your own care. That collaborative spirit isn't just good therapy philosophy; research consistently shows that the quality of the therapeutic alliance is one of the strongest predictors of positive outcomes. Empathy That Goes Beyond Listening Empathy in therapy means more than nodding along. It means truly working to understand your inner world — your history, your nervous system, your lived experience — and allowing that understanding to shape how I show up for you. I bring genuine curiosity to every session. I'm not waiting for you to fit a clinical category. I'm learning who you are. For clients who are neurodivergent, LGBTQ+, from marginalized communities, or who've experienced systemic harm, this kind of empathy matters even more. I am proud to offer affirming, culturally sensitive care that recognizes the full context of your life, not just the symptoms you're presenting with. Dual Credentials: A Rare Clinical Advantage As both a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), licensed in Arizona and California, I occupy a genuinely uncommon space in the mental health field. Most therapists specialize in either the relational/emotional dimension of care or the behavioral/functional dimension. I bring both. This means clients dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma, PTSD, ADHD, autism spectrum challenges, ODD, mood disorders, parenting difficulties, and life transitions benefit from a more complete picture, one that addresses both how you feel *and* why you behave the way you do, with a clear, science-backed plan to create change on both levels. The Bottom Line Sustainable mental health isn't built in a single breakthrough session. It's built session by session, skill by skill, insight by insight, through a process that requires patience, flexibility, empathy, and genuine collaboration. That's what I bring to every client, every time. If you're looking for a therapist in Arizona or California who will meet you exactly where you are, honor how your mind works, and walk alongside you with both clinical expertise and genuine human warmth. I'd love to connect.
Ideal clients
I specialize in neurodiversity-affirming therapy for autistic individuals, people with ADHD, and twice-exceptional clients. I welcome adults processing a late diagnosis or exploring their neurodivergent identity. You may want support with executive functioning, sensory overwhelm, emotional regulation, masking, self-esteem, or relationships. Our work respects your autonomy and builds on your strengths. I also support clients experiencing anxiety, panic attacks, persistent worry, depression, mood disorders, trauma, and PTSD. You may be navigating grief, a major life transition, or burnout that makes everyday responsibilities feel difficult to manage. Parents and caregivers may seek help with caregiver stress, boundaries, or the demands of supporting a neurodivergent child or family member. Couples and families may want to improve communication, understand recurring conflict, rebuild trust, or strengthen connection. You may be looking for a therapist who listens carefully, considers your relationships and cultural context, and offers practical strategies adapted to your needs. My approach integrates Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills. Whether your goals are clear or you feel unsure where to begin, we’ll identify priorities together. Therapy can focus on understanding your patterns, developing useful coping skills, communicating your needs, and taking manageable steps toward a life that reflects your values.
Treatment methods
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
ACT is my primary treatment method, and for good reason. At its core, ACT helps you stop exhausting yourself fighting painful thoughts, emotions, and experiences, and instead learn to move alongside them while taking meaningful action toward the life you actually want. I have received extensive training in ACT and have used it with children, teens, adults, couples, and families navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, PTSD, ADHD, autism, life transitions, relationship issues, parenting stress, caregiver burnout, and more. ACT is particularly powerful for neurodivergent clients who have spent years being told their inner experience is wrong — because ACT never pathologizes how you feel. It helps you clarify your values and commit to living in alignment with them, regardless of what your mind is telling you. My background spans private practice, nonprofit mental health clinics, and community settings, where I've served as a clinician, supervisor, consultant, and trainer. I've also provided crisis support and worked with first responders processing the weight of their difficult experiences. That breadth of experience means I bring a grounded, flexible ACT practice to every client — one that adapts to your unique history, neurology, and goals. I've supported clients dealing with anxiety disorders, depression, PTSD, anger management, Asperger's syndrome, autism spectrum challenges, young adult transitions, men's issues, substance use concerns, and at-risk adolescent behavior. ACT works across all of it — because the core skills of psychological flexibility, mindfulness, and values-based living are universally human. Therapy with me is always collaborative. I meet you exactly where you are, and we build the path forward together.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
CBT is one of the most extensively researched and widely validated approaches in mental health treatment — and an important part of my clinical toolkit. I integrate CBT strategically, drawing on the elements that work most powerfully in combination with other evidence-based, third-wave behavioral therapies like ACT and DBT. CBT helps identify the automatic thought patterns, core beliefs, and cognitive distortions that fuel anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, stress, and mood dysregulation. By learning to recognize and challenge unhelpful thinking, clients develop more balanced perspectives and practical skills they can use immediately in daily life. For clients dealing with anxiety disorders, panic, social anxiety, depression, trauma responses, ADHD-related frustration, and OCD-adjacent patterns, CBT techniques provide concrete, actionable tools that complement the deeper acceptance and mindfulness work we do together. The result is a more complete, integrated approach — one that addresses both what you're thinking and how you relate to your thoughts.
Motivational Interviewing
Change is hard and ambivalence about change is completely normal. Motivational Interviewing is a collaborative, evidence-based method I use to help clients explore and resolve that ambivalence, so that the motivation to change comes from within rather than feeling imposed from the outside. I have completed multiple trainings and courses in MI and have applied it with diverse clients navigating anxiety, depression, substance use concerns, ADHD, life transitions, relationship challenges, and behavioral health issues. MI is especially effective early in the therapeutic process — when someone knows something needs to shift but isn't quite sure they're ready, or when past attempts at change have led to discouragement. MI fits naturally alongside ACT, CBT, and DBT because it honors your autonomy, meets you without judgment, and builds the internal readiness that makes every other therapeutic tool more effective. I don't tell you what to do. I help you discover what you actually want — and build the confidence to move toward it.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
DBT is a powerful, structured approach I use to help clients find balance between two things that can feel impossible to hold at the same time: accepting yourself exactly as you are and committing to meaningful change. That dialectic, acceptance and change in equal measure — is what makes DBT uniquely effective for a wide range of challenges. I utilize DBT to help clients build skills across four core areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. These aren't abstract concepts — they're practical, learnable skills that create real shifts in how you handle overwhelming emotions, navigate conflict, cope with crisis, and show up in your relationships. DBT is particularly effective for clients dealing with emotional dysregulation, mood disorders including bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, trauma, PTSD, self-esteem challenges, relationship difficulties, and ODD. It is also a strong fit for neurodivergent clients — autistic individuals and those with ADHD — who may experience emotions intensely and benefit from concrete, structured coping tools. Like everything I do, DBT in my practice is delivered through a genuinely collaborative therapeutic relationship. I don't hand you a workbook and send you on your way. We work through these skills together, apply them to your real life, and adjust our approach based on what's actually working for you. The therapeutic relationship is a partnership — and that partnership is where real change begins.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
Doesn't specialize in
Licensed in
- ArizonaLicense LMFT-15945
- CaliforniaLicense 131725