- Anxiety and depression
- CBT and DBT skills
- Blended family issues
About Matthew
Matthew Dougherty is a New York LMHC with six years of clinical experience. He works with adults facing anxiety, depression, stress, and relationship concerns, including blended family issues and life transitions. He also addresses substance use, ADHD, grief, and self-esteem problems.
He focuses on practical steps people can use day to day. Sessions often include talking through current struggles and trying small changes to see what helps. He draws on client-centered methods alongside cognitive behavioral and dialectical skills to teach coping strategies and improve communication.
Matthew aims to help clients reduce overwhelming feelings and manage recurring patterns. He uses motivational interviewing to explore readiness for change and narrative therapy to look at the stories people tell about themselves. This can help with commitment issues, codependency, and attachment concerns.
In sessions he often breaks problems into manageable pieces. That approach can make work, parenting strain, and major life changes easier to handle. He also addresses eating, sleeping, and intimacy-related issues with concrete techniques rather than abstract theory.
People seeking support for blended household challenges - becoming a stepparent, merging routines, or co-parenting with an ex - will find his work directly relevant. He encourages clear communication, realistic expectations, and step-by-step planning when relationships and household roles shift.
How his approaches are used in online work
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on the person in front of the therapist. It emphasizes listening, reflecting, and helping clients find their own solutions; this can help with self-esteem, relationship questions, and coping with change.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) targets specific thoughts and behaviors. Sessions include practical exercises and homework to reduce anxiety, manage mood, and change unhelpful patterns. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) adds skills for regulating emotion and improving interpersonal effectiveness, which can be useful for intense conflict or anger.
Choosing the right approach is collaborative. Matthew will work with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences. That often means trying a few strategies and adjusting what’s used based on what helps most.
Confirm the current session formats before booking, as the biography does not list specific delivery methods. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a weeknight or a lunch break, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. It can also let someone use sessions even when schedules change rapidly. Licensed professionals adapt tools like worksheets, skill practice, and brief behavioral experiments to work over distance so progress can continue between meetings.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
6+ years
Listed in
New York
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does he work with related to blended families?
He works with adults on stress around step-parenting, merging routines, co-parenting tensions, loyalty conflicts, and related relationship strain.
What is his general therapeutic style?
He uses a practical, client-centered approach and teaches concrete skills from CBT and DBT while also using motivational interviewing and narrative techniques.
How much experience does he have?
He has six years of clinical experience as a licensed mental health counselor in New York.
What credential does he hold and where is he based?
He is an LMHC licensed in New York and practices from that state.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English only.
Does he work with international clients?
He does not accept international clients at this time.
How are session costs handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do you begin working with him?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is for adults and is not emergency care, mediation or legal advice. If you or a child are in danger, use the emergency numbers. Find someone else by name.