Matthew Coy

Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) If you struggle with a racing mind, persistent worry, or feeling overwhelmed by everyday stressors, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the primary tools we will use to help you regain control. CBT is a highly practical, goal-oriented approach centered on a simple truth: how we think directly affects how we feel and how we act. In our sessions, we don’t just talk about your challenges; we actively untangle them using CBT in three key ways: Catching Automatic Thoughts: When you are anxious or exhausted, your brain often defaults to worst-case scenarios or harsh self-criticism. We will work together to pinpoint these automatic, unhelpful thought patterns that are robbing you of your peace. Challenging the Narrative: Once we identify those negative thoughts, we look at the evidence. We will positively challenge the scripts that fear and past trauma try to dictate, helping you separate objective facts from emotional noise. Building Actionable Strategies: We will develop concrete, real-world coping mechanisms. You will learn how to intentionally shift both your mindset and your behaviors so you can respond to life's hurdles with renewed confidence rather than falling back into old, exhausting habits. Putting It Into Practice: Because CBT is an active, collaborative therapy, it pairs perfectly with the worksheets and journaling exercises we will utilize between sessions. By practicing these tools in your day-to-day life, you will build the independence needed to confidently navigate future chapters on your own.

Christian Counseling

For many individuals, faith isn't just a separate component of life—it is the very foundation of how they navigate the world. If incorporating faith into your therapy is important to you, I provide a safe, respectful space where your spiritual beliefs and your mental health can work hand-in-hand toward true restoration. I do not believe that clinical excellence and spiritual truth are at odds. Here is how we intentionally integrate biblical principles into our sessions: Bridging Scripture and Science: We will weave evidence-based psychological practices together with timeless scriptural wisdom. For example, the core of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)—learning to capture and reframe unhelpful thoughts—aligns beautifully with the biblical call to renew our minds and guard our hearts. Reclaiming Your Identity and Worth: Heavy seasons of trauma, addiction, or relationship brokenness can leave you carrying deep burdens of guilt, shame, or hopelessness. We will use faith-based insights to dismantle those negative narratives, helping you ground your identity in grace, purpose, and your inherent worth. Tailored to Your Comfort Level: This integration is entirely client-led and moves at your pace. For some, it looks like examining life stressors through a biblical worldview or utilizing scripture meditation to quiet a racing mind. For others, it might include opening or closing our time in prayer. You set the boundary for how much faith is brought into the room. A Holistic Approach: You never have to check your faith at the door to receive high-quality, professional clinical care. My heart's desire is to meet you exactly where you are, providing a holistic environment where you can experience emotional healing and spiritual renewal simultaneously.

Couples Counseling

When a relationship is in distress, it can feel like you are trapped in the same exhausting argument over and over again. You might feel deeply disconnected, lonely even when you're in the same room, or worried about the future of your partnership. In my practice, couples counseling is not about taking sides, assigning blame, or pointing fingers. Instead, it is an active, collaborative process designed to help you break negative patterns and rebuild a foundation of trust, intimacy, and safety. Drawing heavily on the principles of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), here is how we will work together to restore your relationship: Mapping the "Negative Cycle": Often, the real enemy isn't your partner—it’s the unhelpful communication loop you both get stuck in (such as one person pursuing or criticizing while the other withdraws or shuts down). We will work together to step back, identify this "dance," and understand how it triggers feelings of fear or rejection in both of you. Creating a Secure Space for Vulnerability: Lasting healing happens when you can express your true needs and hurts without the fear of retaliation. I provide a highly structured, balanced environment where both partners feel equally heard, valued, and safe to drop their guards. Rebuilding Secure Connection: We don't just stop at surface-level communication tips. We focus on the emotional roots of your relationship fractures, helping you both learn how to send clear, supportive signals to each other and safely respond to your partner's emotional needs. Optional Integration of Faith: If faith is the foundation of your marriage or relationship, we can seamlessly integrate biblical principles of grace, forgiveness, and covenant into our sessions, ensuring your shared spiritual values support your emotional restoration. Our Team Goal: Just like my individual sessions, couples counseling is focused on empowerment and tangible progress. My goal is to equip you both with the insight and practical tools needed so that you can confidently navigate future chapters as a unified team—ultimately reaching a point where you no longer need therapy to stay connected.

Dialectical Behavior (DBT)

When emotions feel overwhelming, intense, or completely out of your control, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) provides a highly structured, skills-based toolkit to help you find your footing. The word "dialectical" simply means balancing two seemingly opposite truths: accepting yourself exactly as you are right now, while simultaneously working hard to change the patterns that are keeping you stuck. In our sessions, we don't just sit with heavy emotions; we actively build a set of concrete, everyday survival skills. We will focus on four core pillars of DBT to help you regain your balance: Mindfulness (Living in the Present): If your mind is constantly racing or robed by fear of tomorrow, we will practice grounding techniques to anchor you in the current moment. This helps you notice your thoughts and feelings without letting them completely hijack your day. Distress Tolerance (Surviving the Storm): Life will throw crises at you, but you can learn how to survive them without making the situation worse. I will teach you practical, immediate strategies to tolerate intense emotional pain or stress when you can’t change the circumstances right away. Emotion Regulation (Navigating the Waves): Instead of feeling like a victim to sudden waves of anxiety, anger, or depression, we will work on identifying, understanding, and shifting your emotional responses so you can feel back in the driver's seat of your own life. Interpersonal Effectiveness (Healthy Boundaries): Troubled relationships can drain your energy. We will practice concrete communication tools to help you express your needs clearly, say "no" confidently, and build healthy boundaries while maintaining self-respect. Practical Integration: DBT is a "doing" therapy. Because you deserve to see measurable progress quickly, the worksheets, journaling exercises, and skills we discuss in session are designed to be practiced immediately in your day-to-day life. My goal is to equip you with these lifelong tools so that you eventually reach a point where you can confidently navigate any emotional hurdle entirely on your own.

EMDR

When you are carrying a past filled with trauma or deep-seated wounds, it can feel like you are trapped in survival mode. Even if the painful events happened years ago, your mind and body might still respond as if the danger is happening right now—leaving you with a racing mind, persistent fear, and a feeling of being completely stuck. When traditional talk therapy isn't enough to release that heavy weight, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a powerful, evidence-based tool we can use to help your brain finally heal. EMDR is based on the idea that our brains have a natural capacity to recover from psychological trauma, but sometimes overwhelming experiences get "stuck" in the nervous system. In our sessions, we use EMDR to safely reprocess those blocks in three key ways: Targeting the Root Cause: We won’t just manage your current symptoms; we will identify the specific past memories, negative beliefs, or physical sensations that are driving your anxiety, depression, or relationship hurdles today. Safe, Controlled Processing: Using bilateral stimulation (such as guided eye movements or gentle tapping), we will activate your brain’s natural healing mechanism while you briefly focus on the old memory. This process helps your brain move the memory from an active, emotionally distressing part of the brain to a neutral, historical storage place. Rewriting the Internal Script: EMDR does not make you forget what happened to you. Instead, it strips away the intense emotional charge attached to the memory. It allows you to replace old, painful beliefs (like "I am unsafe" or "It was my fault") with resilient, empowering truths (like "I am safe now" or "I did the best I could"). Reclaiming Your Future: EMDR is a highly efficient, goal-oriented modality that fits perfectly into my philosophy of helping you make measurable progress. By processing the wounds that are holding you back, we can blow the dust off your dreams and help you run toward tomorrow with a renewed, confident self.