Mat Barbosa
Mat Barbosa
Locations Massachusetts Therapists Mat Barbosa
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Mat Barbosa, LMHC, MA(He/Him/His)

(He/Him/His)
Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC
Rhode Island•Connecticut•Massachusetts
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)-Phobias & fears-Panic attacks / panic disorder- Anxiety -Chronic pain- Trauma-

See Mat's Details for:

Accepting online

In-network with some insurances

$150

AboutSpecialtiesLocationsInsurance & FeesTestimonials
Mat BarbosaMat Barbosa

Professional statement

Mat is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with the private practice providing telehealth individual therapy throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Mat's clients range in the issues they are struggling with but all have at least one thing in common: they are all human beings. Part of being human is to experience thoughts and emotions. Sometimes this can be overwhelming and this is likely why you are searching on this website now.

Mat’s therapeutic approach is a behavior therapy (like CBT) called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) although he uses ideas from other therapies based on what the individual needs. In ACT, an aim in therapy is to help you with getting your life going in the direction you want it to be going while also helping you to better handle the obstacles along the way. This is done through a goal-oriented, mindfulness based approach tied to YOUR values, not anyone else's.

OCD, phobias, and anxiety are Mat’s specialties. He has training in exposure and response prevention (ERP) which is the gold standard for treatment for OCD and phobias and can also be used for trauma work.  It does require hard work, commitment, and stepping out of your comfort zone. In doing ERP from an ACT approach, Mat will work with you on this and move at your pace. While he enjoys working with these specialities, Mat enjoys helping anyone dissatisfied with how mental health is impacting their lives.

While he is trained in ERP to help with OCD and anxiety, Mat also has experience and enjoys helping those with a variety of issues ranging including gender and social justice issues, depression, anger management, addiction, trauma, and chronic pain.

Message to clients

Anxiety, obsessive thoughts, pain, sadness, etc…we all experience these things to varying degrees (myself included). What have you tried to make these things go away? How have those attempts been working out for you? Since you’re reading this, I’m guessing these attempts maybe aren’t working so well or are not enough. Or maybe they are making things worse? You feel stuck.

I get it, when there is a problem, we humans have these amazing problem solving brains that allow us to come up with solutions. That can be really useful in the external world (e.g. it rains, you get an umbrella, a wolf charges towards you and you fight or run away). It’s only natural that when we have an unpleasant internal experience we apply this same strategy.

That strategy often doesn’t work when we apply it to the internal stuff though (I know this, because I used to think that if I fought hard enough I could change my thoughts or emotions but that actually made it worse). Think of a finger trap--the harder you pull, the tighter it gets.

If you are interested in learning a different approach to these internal experiences, reach out to me. We will work together on learning to bend with the winds life is throwing at you rather than resisting/fighting something out of our control. See my site for more info. Message me for a quick response.

May you be well.

Work and Education

Years of Experience: 12 years

Learning to Bend Counseling Services, Mental Health Counselor, 2021 - Present
Private practice (not my own practice), Mental Health Counselor, 2017 - 2021
Child and Family Services, Lead clinician on crisis unit, 2016 - 2017
Child and Family Services, Emergency Services/Crisis Clinician, 2015 - 2016
Northwest Human Services (Oregon), Mental Health Counselor, 2014 - 2015
Community mental health, Mental Health Counselor Intern, 2013 - 2014
Inpatient Psychiatric Hospital, Mental Health Worker, 2010 - 2014
Child and Family Services Crisis Unit, Mental Health Worker , 2009 - 2010

University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, MA - Clinical Psychcology, 2014

Licensure

Massachusetts: 10150 - Rhode Island: MHC01946 - Connecticut: 9415

Languages

English

Specialties

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) - Through exposure you will learn that you can still do the things you want to do/live the life you want to live even though there will still be some anxiety along for the ride. The anxiety does not need to disappear for you to move forward. By staying in contact with the anxiety (through exposure) and not engaging in safety behaviors (compulsions), your confidence in your ability to handle the anxiety and discomfort is going to gradually grow.

Phobias & fears - Providing techniques and support to overcome intense fear, anxiety, and panic related to specific triggers, such as heights or crowded spaces. Description of treatment under OCD applies here as well.

Panic attacks / panic disorder - Brief, intense periods of overwhelming fear or anxiety. Description of treatment under OCD applies here as well.

Anxiety - Coping with excessive worry, nervousness, or stress; intense discomfort in social settings (social anxiety); sudden and intense feelings of panic (panic disorder)

Chronic pain - Managing the biological, psychological, and emotional aspects of pain. My role as your therapist is not part of your medical team but, rather, is to help you change your relationship with pain to reduce and even eliminate the secondary suffering which is often common with chronic pain.

Trauma - Exposure therapy is an effective approach in trauma work. Through exposure you will learn that you can still do the things you want to do/live the life you want to live even though there will still be some anxiety along for the ride. The anxiety does not need to disappear for you to move forward. By staying in contact with the anxiety (through exposure) and not engaging in safety behaviors (e.g. avoidance), your confidence in your ability to handle the discomfort is going to gradually improve.

General expertise

Treatment approaches

Clientele

  • Adults (24+)
  • Teenagers (13-18)
  • Young adults (18-24)

Locations & Hours

Insurance

  • AllWays Health Partners (formerly Neighborhood Health) (in-network in MA, RI, CT)
  • Berklee College of Music Student Health Insurance (Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO) (in-network in MA, RI, CT)
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield (in-network in MA, RI, CT)
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA HMO (in-network in MA, RI, CT)
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA PPO (in-network in MA, RI, CT)
  • Harvard Pilgrim (in-network in MA, RI, CT)
  • Harvard Student Health Insurance (Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO) (in-network in MA, RI, CT)
  • Health Plans Inc. (in-network in MA, RI, CT)
  • Lesley University Student Health Insurance (Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO) (in-network in MA, RI, CT)
  • MIT Student and Affiliate Extended Insurance Plan (Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO) (in-network in MA, RI, CT)
  • Mass General Brigham (in-network in MA, RI, CT)
  • Northeastern University Student Health Insurance (Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO) (in-network in MA, RI, CT)
  • Optum (in-network in MA, RI, CT)
  • Tufts Health Plan (in-network in MA, RI, CT)
  • UMR (in-network in MA, RI, CT)
  • United Healthcare (in-network in MA, RI, CT)
  • United Healthcare Shared Services (in-network in MA, RI, CT)
  • United Healthcare Student Health Plan (in-network in MA, RI, CT)
  • UnitedHealthcare/Optum - Medicaid (in-network in MA)

Mat Barbosa is accepting clients using listed insurances, paying listed fees, or using health insurance out-of-network benefits other than:

  • Tufts Health Plan (Commercial Plans, not via Mass Health or Navigator)

Out-of-pocket fees

  • Individual sessions:$150 (53min)

Additional session information

Payment options
  • Credit Card
Session frequency

Frequency of sessions this provider offers to see clients once you are an established client.

  • Weekly
  • Every other week

Client testimonials

"very understanding and a good listener!"
- Zencare client • April 2024
"I think Mat is great and I look forward to working with him!"
- Zencare client • May 2024
Book a Free Initial Consultation

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