About Matthew
Matthew McKenna is a licensed marriage and family therapist who helps people manage stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship problems, family concerns, and depression. He practices in New York and draws on seven years of clinical experience to offer steady, practical support.
Background and approach
Sessions focus on clear goals and small, doable steps that fit daily life. Matthew works in a calm, nonjudgmental way so people can talk openly about what’s worrying them.
He aims to make conversations straightforward and useful rather than full of jargon. Clients can expect a mix of listening, problem-solving, and homework to try between sessions.
He has worked with a wide range of concerns, including obsessive-compulsive behaviors, process addictions such as gambling or pornography, hoarding, phobias, and seasonal mood shifts. He also addresses relationship issues like jealousy, infidelity, and blended family stress.
Matthew brings experience supporting people facing intellectual disability, autism spectrum traits, and challenges tied to prejudice and discrimination. Matthew uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques to guide practical changes.
He helps people build coping skills for anxiety, set limits around addictive behaviors, and repair communication patterns that fuel relationship strain. Sessions are paced by the client’s needs and priorities.
People meet with Matthew via video, phone, live chat, or text messaging. He accepts English-speaking clients from inside and outside the United States.
To begin, prospective clients complete a short questionnaire and schedule an appointment through the service.
Evidence-based approaches and online care
Matthew draws on evidence-based therapeutic techniques that focus on changing unhelpful patterns and building coping skills. One common approach teaches concrete anxiety-management tools such as breathing exercises, behavioral experiments, and stepwise exposure to feared situations. These methods help reduce avoidance and increase daily functioning.Another frequently used approach targets addictive behaviors and compulsions by identifying triggers, creating alternative routines, and setting measurable goals. This work often includes planning for setbacks and strengthening urges-management skills to support long-term change.
Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist works with the client to identify goals, try methods that match those goals, and adjust the plan when needed. Sessions focus on what the client wants to accomplish and on practical steps that fit their life.
Online sessions are offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make care easier to fit into busy schedules. Video is useful for full conversations and visual cues, phone sessions can be simpler when bandwidth is limited, live chat works for shorter check-ins, and text messaging supports ongoing reflection between meetings. These options help people stay consistent with therapy while balancing other commitments.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
Also works with
- Antisocial personality
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Blended family issues
- Depression
- Family conflicts
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Jealousy
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Phobias
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Experience
- 7 years
- Licensed
- New York
- Languages
- English