Licensed to practice in California and accepts 15 insurances. Specializes in Addiction, Coping Skills, Anxiety and 8 more.
(he/him)
New to Grow
My name is Matt Gleason and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I have had experience with both children and adults with a variety of struggles including depression, anxiety, trauma, substance use, and psychotic disorders. I work collaboratively with you to work toward your personal goals and dreams. I consider myself client-centered which means that you are the expert on your own life and I want to work on what YOU find the most valuable in our sessions together. I utilize evidence based therapeutic modalities as well including CBT, DBT, Positive Psychology, and Motivational Interviewing. I am culturally responsive and utilize trauma informed care. I also exercise cultural humility with all of my clients and enjoy working with clients who may have been stigmatized including LGBTQ+ and all different racial/ethnic backgrounds. I enjoy working with all different faith/spiritual backgrounds. I can't wait to start our work together and look forward to helping you begin your therapeutic journey.
Our first session is really dedicated to getting to know each other and beginning to establish our therapeutic relationship. Client-centered therapy posits that the therapeutic relationship is the vehicle for healing in therapy and therefore this is of upmost importance. I also spend our first session assessing and gathering as much information as possible to help understand your goals. desires, and dreams.
In my personal life I have had significant experience with mental health in my family as well as mental health struggles in my own life. After doing my own personal work in therapy, I have a good idea of what healing can look like. However, everyone's mental health journey is unique, and I don't bring my own biases of what client's journey "should" or "should not" look like.
I enjoy working with clients who are motivated, engaged, and are willing to be open and honest as possible. Being honest with yourself as well as with your therapist is important in order to see real change. My ideal client will also take responsibility for the things in their life that need to change. If a client is struggling with substance use, I would prefer that clients do not show up to sessions intoxicated or under the influence.
I identify as
Person-centered (Rogerian)
Person-centered therapy is about guiding the clients on their own journey rather than the therapist imposing what change should look like for the client. I utilize an empathetic, non-judgmental, and safe space for clients.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) focuses on the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in your life. This therapeutic approach focuses not only on the experiences you've had, but also your thoughts about those experiences which can keep a client stuck.
Existential
Existential therapy helps clients explore how to relate to fundamental realities of life, such as freedom, responsibility, meaning-making, and mortality. I help clients understand that these existential concerns and how they relate to their current struggles. The focus of existential therapy is to help clients live in tune with their values and to take responsibility for making meaning of their lives.