Matthew Van (he/his)

As men, we often receive conflicting and confusing messages about how to think, feel, and act. Such messages can lead us to feeling disconnected from others while keeping our important experiences from being acknowledged. Addressing the external and internal messages about masculinity can help us feel closer to the ones we love and can allow our selves to be more completely seen. Through my own work around the mixed messages of masculinity, I can work with you to unpack and confront yours.

Low self-esteem can come from numerous places and can show up in many different ways. It may feel like there is something unfixable about you, invisible and overlooked, taken advantage of, empty, or resentful of others. These feelings come from very real experiences and often hold a lot of weight in how each of us sees ourselves. I firmly believe that we can begin to unpack, better understand how these pieces live on in your current life, and begin to push back against them.

As a person diagnosed with ADHD as a child, I know how it feels to think, act, and relate differently than others. I also know the struggle of feeling blamed for these differences, and even blaming myself. It has taken a long time to understand what it means to have and to live with ADHD as a child and as an adult. Together, we can explore similar experiences to better understand you, how you ADHD affects your life, and how to confront longstanding, hurtful messages about ADHD.

I strongly believe in the power of a genuine relationship as a foundation and conduit of meaningful and lasting, depth-oriented change. While I aim to help alleviate symptoms and suffering, a primary focus is also to open and explore longstanding wounds, interpersonal patterns, and unaddressed conflicts, as well as how all of these pieces live on in your life.

Person-centered theory is the core basis of how I relate to and work with patients. I trust each person to be an expert on their own lives and accept them fully as they are. My warm, patient, and compassionate approach helps to build a safe environment through which meaningful change can occur.

Psychodynamic psychotherapy is the primary theoretical approach I use for treatment. Essentially, this approach allows us to examine current difficulties, as well as how longstanding ones continue to live on in your current life. Together, we will examine conscious struggles while also discovering aspects that may lie outside of your awareness. Psychodynamic treatment is a collaborative approach, in-part because some troubles can only be addressed with two minds.