Licensed to practice in North Carolina and accepts 9 insurances. Specializes in Couples Counseling, Anger Management, Men's Issues and 9 more.
(he/him)
New to Grow
Hi, I'm Matthew, a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and the founder of Cardinal Counseling Connection. I'm trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and listed with ICEEFT, and most of my work centers on helping men build a stronger, more honest relationship with themselves and the people they love. Many of the men I work with came to therapy because something wasn't working,;maybe it's hard to put feelings into words, relationships feel harder than they should, or old coping strategies (working more, shutting down, numbing out) have started costing more than they help. My work is about helping you find your voice again: naming what you actually feel, understanding where old patterns come from, and learning to connect — with yourself first, then with the people around you. I come to this work personally as well as professionally. Some of my own early experiences left me feeling like I had to manage everything alone, and I know what it costs to carry that. That's part of why I care so much about helping men find a different way; one where connection, not control, is the goal. In session, I bring both structure and warmth. I'll ask real questions, name patterns you might not see on your own, and give you tools you can actually use. The work itself is collaborative, not clinical box-checking. My goal isn't just symptom relief; it's helping you build the kind of internal and relational life that feels sustainable and real. If you're a man who's tired of white-knuckling it alone and ready to actually understand yourself, I'd be glad to work with you.
Starting therapy can feel like a big step, especially if you're not used to talking about what's going on beneath the surface. Here's what to expect so there aren't any surprises. Before we meet Since all of my sessions are virtual, you'll get a secure link through the client portal along with a few intake forms to fill out ahead of time. These cover the basics: your history, what's bringing you in, and any goals you already have in mind. Filling these out beforehand means we don't spend our first session on paperwork, we spend it actually getting to know each other. What the first session looks like Individual sessions run 60 minutes; if you're coming in as a couple, we'll usually schedule 90 minutes, since there's more ground to cover with two people in the room. The first session is part assessment, part getting to know you. I'll ask about what brought you to therapy now, what you've already tried, and what you're hoping is different on the other side of this work. If you're someone who struggles to put feelings into words or has leaned on coping strategies that aren't serving you anymore, I want to understand the shape of that specifically, not just in general terms. But this isn't an interrogation. Just as much of the first session is about building a working relationship. I want you to leave feeling like you were actually heard, not like you filled out a verbal questionnaire. Some of the most important information I get in a first session isn't the facts themselves, it's how it feels for you to say them out loud, sometimes for the first time. If you're coming in as a couple, I'll also spend some time understanding the pattern between you: what happens when things get tense, what each of you needs and isn't getting, and where the disconnect tends to show up. This helps me start seeing not just each of you individually, but the dance the two of you get stuck in together. What we won't do in the first session We won't dive into deep processing work right away. Assessment and trust come first. You don't need to arrive with your whole story organized and ready to present. It's okay if things come out messy or out of order. My job in this first session is to start making sense of it with you, not to have you make sense of it alone beforehand. It's normal to feel nervous Most people feel some nervousness walking into a first session, even a virtual one. That's completely normal, especially for the men I work with, many of whom haven't had much pr
I'll help you know where we're going A lot of therapy can feel foggy, like you're talking in circles without a clear sense of whether anything is actually moving forward. That's not how I work. I bring a clear sense of direction to our sessions. I'm always tracking the bigger picture: what pattern we're working on, why a particular question matters, and how today's conversation connects to what you're actually trying to change. I'll name what I'm noticing and explain my thinking so it never feels like you're being led somewhere mysterious. You should always have a sense of where we are and where we're headed, even when the material itself is hard. I make it easy to actually show up Therapy works better when you're not white knuckling your way through the hour. I bring a genuine sense of humor and ease into sessions, and most clients tell me it doesn't feel like the stiff, overly serious version of therapy they expected. That matters a lot for the men I work with, many of whom came in guarded, unsure what to say, or bracing for something uncomfortable. When there's room to laugh, room to be human, room to mess up a sentence and try again, people open up faster and stay open longer. Ease isn't the opposite of depth. For a lot of my clients, it's what makes the depth possible in the first place. I bring real curiosity about who you are I'm genuinely curious about people, not just their symptoms or their presenting problem, but who they actually are underneath it. That curiosity shows up as insight. I tend to notice patterns clients haven't named yet, connect dots between something from years ago and something happening this week, and reflect things back in a way that often lands as, that's exactly it, I just never had the words for it. This isn't about being clever. It's about paying close attention, staying curious longer than most people do, and trusting that there's real wisdom in how someone got to be who they are, even in the parts that feel messy or hard to explain. How this comes together in session These three things work together. The clarity means you always know where we're going. The ease means getting there doesn't feel like a chore. And the curiosity means what we find along the way actually means something, not a generic insight that could apply to anyone, but something specific to you. I'm trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy, which gives me a strong map for understanding the patterns that keep people stuck, whether that's in a relat
My ideal clients are men who are tired of carrying everything alone. Often they're high functioning on the outside, holding down work and responsibilities, but internally they feel disconnected from themselves and the people closest to them. They may struggle to name what they're feeling, let alone say it out loud, and have leaned on coping strategies like staying busy, shutting down, or numbing out that have quietly stopped working. These clients aren't necessarily in crisis. Many are simply aware that something is off: recurring tension in a relationship, a sense of being misunderstood or unseen by a partner, or a nagging feeling that they're going through life managing everything instead of actually living it. What they share is a readiness, even if it's a nervous readiness, to look underneath the surface and understand themselves more honestly. I also work well with couples caught in familiar, frustrating patterns: the same argument that keeps resurfacing, a growing distance neither person knows how to close, or a sense of disconnection that's replaced the closeness they used to have. Using an EFT lens, I help couples understand what's actually driving those patterns and build a more secure way of relating to each other. What my ideal clients tend to have in common is a willingness to be curious about themselves, even when that's uncomfortable. They may not have the words yet, and that's expected, not a barrier. What matters most is a genuine desire to stop managing everything internally and start actually being known, first in the therapy room, and eventually with the people who matter most to them.
This is the foundation of how I work. EFT gives me a map for understanding the emotional patterns that keep people stuck, whether that's a cycle a couple falls into or the way someone relates to their own feelings. In session, this shows up as slowing down to notice what's happening underneath the surface reaction, not just what was said, but what it meant and what it triggered.
I pay close attention to how early relationships shaped a client's sense of safety, trust, and connection, and how those patterns still show up in adult relationships today. In the room, this looks like helping clients understand that a current reaction, like shutting down or needing reassurance, often makes complete sense in light of where it was learned.
For clients who want it, I integrate faith into the therapeutic process, drawing on scripture, prayer, or spiritual reflection as part of the work. This shows up only when it's meaningful to the client. I meet people where they are, and for those who want their faith held alongside their therapy rather than separate from it, I bring that integration in naturally.
The values and meaning we live out of shape everything, either giving us a real sense of purpose and forward movement, or leaving us feeling listless and unmoored, even when life looks fine on the surface. In session, this shows up as making space to actually determine who you want to be according to those values, not just what you're supposed to want. We ask questions like how you want to be remembered, and what to do when your values are at odds with each other or with the life you're currently living.
Underneath everything else is a foundation of genuine warmth, empathy, and unconditional positive regard. I trust that clients already have real insight into themselves, and my role is to create the kind of safe, nonjudgmental space where that insight can surface. This shows up as following the client's lead rather than steering the conversation toward a predetermined destination.