Practitioner record · Checked 9 Oct 2026
Matthew Bell has been in practice 13 years and is licensed in Illinois. Matthew lists stress, Anxiety, LGBT and relationship issues among 12 subjects on the BetterHelp roster.
Everything below is either quoted from Matthew's own BetterHelp listing, taken from public licensing records, or written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such. Nothing here is an availability promise, a review, or a rating.
01 · Who Matthew works with
Matthew lists 5 specialisms and 7 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Matthew chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.
02 · In Matthew's own words
Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.
The therapeutic environment offers a unique opportunity to share, confront, and enhance parts of ourselves while exploring and discovering deeper traits and skills that we may possess. As a therapist, I believe in empowering the individual through therapeutic experiences that foster a lasting change outside of the therapy setting. I cherish the opportunity to engage in this relationship and commit myself to doing the work with you and supporting your exploration. I value modeling transparency, care, boundaries, and healthy support systems. I believe that challenging dialogue in a safe environment leads to internal growth.
As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I am in full support of recognizing our differences and utilizing dialogue that addresses their impact in our stories. It is my privilege and honor to bring full awareness to culture, gender, race, sexual orientation, and all other identifiers.
It is my pleasure to welcome each client and offer my services while recognizing the client as the expert of their story. My work has allowed me to care for clients that span from children to senior adults. I have conducted meaningful work around intimacy, sexual identity, relationship dynamics, and have supported LGBTQIA identified individuals.
Matthew Bell, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026
03 · What happens next
Matthew practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Matthew's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.
BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Matthew at this point.
BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Matthew is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Matthew.
You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.
A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.
Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.
04 · Practical details
05 · Provenance
Matthew's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 9 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.
The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.
Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Matthew. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.
Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.
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