Matt Vest (he/him/his)

MA, LCMHCA, NCC
Accepting Clients

Hi, I'm Matt. I'm a licensed clinical mental health counselor associate, dad, co-parenting partner, and science, nature, and movie nerd.

Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate in , NC
Supervised by Kim Skelton, LCMHCS

Services
  • Individual
  • Couples
  • Adolescent/Teen

About My Clients

I love working with clients who are facing the kinds of existential dilemmas we all have to grapple with: finding meaning, facing grief, or fear and anxiety around death and illness, making life decisions and coping with transitions, dealing with loneliness, and connecting with others. I see these basic anxieties as challenges to face as we define ourselves. I want to help people take responsibility for their lives, to tame the darkness, and find meaning to light their way through it.

My Background and Approach

My theoretical orientation is based in existential psychology. I rely primarily on the therapeutic relationship, striving toward deep acceptance, empathy, and understanding of where my clients are coming from, and working collaboratively toward building greater awareness of who the client is in the moment, how they want to show up in the world, and what values may guide them in life. To this end, we may also make use of concrete tools including mindfulness practices and interventions from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT), motivational interviewing (MI), and others. When working with couples, I may also use tools to facilitate communication and awareness of patterns informed by attachment theory, emotionally-focused therapy (EFT), and nonviolent communication (NVC). Whether working with an individual or a couple, my hope is to foster curiosity, creativity, and a sense of adventure as we seek solutions. Sliding scale rates available!

My Personal Beliefs and Interests

I also have a strong and long-standing interest in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and am pursuing training opportunities in that direction. For clients who are working with psychedelic substances provided by a licensed clinician, such as Ketamine, or those seeking support around use in other contexts, I am informed by training in Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) and psychedelic harm reduction and integration (PHRI). I do not offer any services or advice related to obtaining illegal substances, nor will I ever recommend any use outside of legal, sanctioned, safe, and well-considered contexts or when better-established treatment options are feasible. My goal with those choosing to use psychedelics independently is to assist with education around risks, harm reduction/reduce negative outcomes, and to provide integration services. At this time, my focus is on preparation and integration aspects of this work, and I do not offer experiential/use ("sitting") sessions of any kind.

Techniques I Use

Specialties
Existential Therapy Harm Reduction Therapy Solution Focused Brief Therapy
Other Techniques
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
  • Anger Management Therapy
  • Attachment Theory
  • Couples Counseling
  • Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
  • Harm Reduction Therapy
  • Humanistic Therapy
  • Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
  • Motivational Interviewing
  • Nonviolent Communication
  • Transpersonal Therapy
  • Person-Centered (Rogerian)
  • Accelerated Resolution Therapy

Issues I Treat

Specialties
Grief or Loss Self-Esteem Spirituality
Other Issues
  • Aging Concerns
  • Anger Issues
  • Anxiety
  • Attachment
  • Burnout
  • Cancer
  • Depression
  • Divorce
  • Family Conflict
  • Marriage Counseling
  • Men's Issues
  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Spirituality
  • Teen Issues
I offer online counseling in the following states:
I have experience with the following
  • Agnosticism
  • Atheism
  • Buddhism
  • Christianity
  • Hinduism
  • Islam
  • Taoism
  • Wicca/Paganism
  • Interfaith
  • Multifaith

At A Glance

  • Experience: 4 years of practice
  • Rate: $110 - 110/session

Reach out to Matt