Meet Matthew

From Blake & Tracy: We are thrilled to welcome Matthew to the team. His depth and breadth of experience with college students, substance use, co-occurring mental health issues, male identity & relationships (and yes, he works with all genders too!), and as an LPC Supervisor are such a gift to our group. Plus he’s just a really kind-hearted person who is easy to talk to. Here’s a little bit more about Matthew in his own words…

Hello! I would like to introduce myself as the newest member of the GT team!

I am a born and raised Texan and have lived my entire life in and around the great state of Texas.  I was raised in a small suburb of Houston where much of my childhood was spent playing soccer with my identical twin brother. We were blessed to have multiple family members within driving distance and we would spend a lot of the summers at my grandmother’s house. I still remember our special trips to Dairy Queen for Blizzards. Although unaware of it at the time, these early experiences fostered a deep appreciation for being outdoors and for family. I loved going fishing in Galveston with my father, playing soccer with my brother, and spending summertime running around my grandmother’s backyard.  

After I graduated from high school, I attended Baylor University in Waco where I was driven by my interest in psychology. I mean, I am an identical twin! I earned my undergraduate degree in Psychology and subsequently pursued my graduate degree in Professional Counseling at Texas State University. During college, I enjoyed many travel adventures with friends during breaks, from camping in Big Bend to long road trips around the southern states with nights spent on a mattress in the back of my roommate’s barely running van. I also worked at a few different Starbucks coffee shops where my primary job was opening the shop while taking graduate school courses at night. I experienced how being kind and helping get other people’s mornings started off well with a fresh cup of coffee made a big impact on me and our customers, and it helped shape how I wanted to move forward with my career as a professional “helper”. 

Following graduation, I worked at the Downtown Austin Community Court where I primarily served people experiencing homelessness. I then joined Austin Travis County Integral Care in a 90-day residential treatment program called Project Recovery. The five years in these positions, along with my time facilitating Anger Management groups at the Austin Stress Clinic are where I developed my clinical approach and honed my clinical skills. After I obtained full licensure, I entered the position that I held up until recently with the University of Texas at Austin Counseling and Mental Health Center as the Alcohol and Other Drug Counseling Program Coordinator. For the near 12 years in this position, I offered both group and individual clinical harm reduction services to UT students and supported young adults along their paths to healing. I am privileged to have had that experience, as it provided me with exposure to ample training opportunities including clinical supervision, issues of diversity, mindfulness, self-compassion, dialectical behavior therapy, and cognitive behavior therapy.  

I am honored to have the opportunity to bring my experience to the GT therapy group practice and I support you in your growth and transformation. I look forward to the opportunity to work with you.