- Guilt and shame
- Trauma and grief
- Anxiety and panic
About Matthew
Matthew Powell is a Licensed Certified Social Worker-Clinical (LCSW-C) in Maryland with 23 years of professional experience. He works with adults wrestling with stress, anxiety, relationship difficulties, trauma and abuse, grief, and depression. He also supports people dealing with guilt and shame and related concerns such as attachment struggles, isolation, and problems with communication.
Matthew treats clients as the experts on their own lives. He helps people identify strengths they already have and use those strengths to address what feels stuck. Sessions focus on practical steps and clearer thinking rather than abstract labels. The tone is straightforward and direct, with room for honest talk about fear, regret, and responsibility.
In sessions he listens for patterns that keep someone feeling stuck, such as control issues, impulsivity, or repeated relationship conflicts. He then helps people try different responses and small behavioral shifts that can change those patterns. He also works with issues tied to money stress, life purpose, and transitions like divorce or separation.
Matthew has long experience helping people cope with panic, social anxiety, and post-traumatic stress. He offers steady guidance for processing grief and loss and for addressing shame that comes from family, faith, or past actions. He encourages clear communication and practical problem solving.
People who contact him start by describing what matters most to them now. From there he helps set short-term goals and plans for follow-up. The focus is on usable change and on building on what already works in a person's life.
How evidence-based approaches translate to online sessions
Matthew uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques that focus on changing harmful patterns and building practical skills. One common approach is cognitive-behavioral style work, which looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions interact and helps people try different responses to reduce anxiety or panic. Another approach emphasizes processing difficult experiences from trauma and loss, helping people tell their story in a way that lessens emotional overwhelm and improves daily functioning.Finding the right approach is often part of the work. He will collaborate with each person to choose methods that match their goals, current struggles, and preferences. That planning happens together so the approach can be adjusted as progress is made or new challenges appear.
If you are considering remote sessions, confirm the current session options before booking since formats were not specified in the biography. Online work can make fitting therapy into a busy life easier by removing travel time, allowing shorter check-ins when needed, and offering sessions that fit around work or caregiving schedules. Many people find this flexibility helps keep momentum between sessions while they try practical changes in daily life.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Experience
23+ years
Listed in
Maryland
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does he address?
He works with stress, anxiety, relationship problems, trauma and abuse, grief, and depression, and also focuses on issues like guilt and shame, attachment, and isolation.
How would he approach feelings of guilt or shame?
He helps people name the feelings, track the patterns that keep them stuck, and try practical changes in thinking and behavior to reduce the hold of guilt or shame.
What is his professional background?
He has 23 years of professional experience working with adults on a range of mental health and relationship concerns.
What credentials and location are listed?
He is an LCSW-C in Maryland and practices with that credential in that state.
What languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the United States work with him?
He does not accept international clients at this time.
How are sessions arranged and paid for?
Cost varies with location; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with him?
Use the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.