01 · Who Matthew works with

Matthew works with stress, Anxiety, addictions and relationship issues

Matthew lists 13 specialisms and 17 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

What Matthew says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

I have been in the mental health industry since 2001, working in psychiatric hospitals and the private practice setting. I have extensive experience working with adolescents, young adults, and adults. I have a deep theoretical understanding but approach psychotherapy in a humorous, down to earth way. The growth and change process is difficult, but I truly believe that it can be fun and enjoyable as well.

My graduate program was started by the founder of Humanistic Psychology, Abraham Maslow and had a humanistic and transpersonal orientation. My education certainly didn't stop after graduate school. I am passionate about this field and am constantly learning new approaches and deepening my understanding of the therapeutic process. I have devoted a lot of time and energy to becoming a better therapist. I am certain I can help you through your current struggles.

I am a Certified IMAGO relationship therapist and a Licensed Professional Counselor in Georgia and North Carolina. My specific areas of professional experience have been working at psychiatric and addiction hospitals. It was their I worked with individuals struggling from a range of severe psychiatric and addiction issues. I also have extensive experience practicing individual, couples, and family therapy in my private practice.

My areas of expertise included working with issues surrounding emerging adulthood, depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties, autism spectrum disorders, spirituality, addiction, finding meaning in life, and dream interpretation.

My theoretical base is the person-centered approach of Carl Rogers. However, I have a truly eclectic approach as I embrace cognitive-behavioral, psycho-dynamic, focusing, relational, and spiritual approaches.

Matthew Vaughn, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Matthew works

The 5 approaches Matthew lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Matthew lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Matthew's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Matthew runs a session.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Motivational InterviewingMI

A way of talking about change with somebody who is genuinely in two minds about it. The therapist does not argue for the change; they help you say your own reasons out loud, which is the part that predicts whether it happens. Common around substance use and health behaviour.

Psychodynamic Therapy

Works on the assumption that current patterns - in relationships, at work, in how you treat yourself - have a history, and that seeing the history loosens the pattern. Less structured than CBT, usually longer, and more interested in what comes up unbidden than in a weekly agenda.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

Also listed

• Imago Relationship Therapy
• Jungian Therapy

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

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.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   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.

2. Naming Matthew specifically

   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.

3. If the caseload is full

   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.

4. The first conversation

   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.

5. If the fit is wrong

   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.

05 · Before you commit

3 questions worth asking Matthew

Built from what Matthew actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Matthew's - Matthew has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LCMHC

Licensed in

North Carolina

Licence

NC LCMHC 12997

Licence number

12997

Licence expires

30 Jun 2028

NPI

1083926604

Years in practice

10

Gender

Male

Languages

English

International clients

Accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

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.