Mattie Dunn
Hi! I'm Mattie. I earned my Master’s degree in Clinical Counseling & Psychology from Eastern University in 2018, with a concentration in Trauma Studies. Since then, I’ve worked across detox, residential, PHP, IOP, and outpatient settings, supporting individuals with a wide range of clinical needs and levels of acuity. My areas of focus include trauma, substance use disorders, grief & loss, personality disorders, anxiety, and mood disorders, and experience working with significant emotional dysregulation, and co-occurring medical and psychiatric concerns. My experience in higher levels of care has given me extensive experience with crisis intervention, de-escalation, safety concerns, and acute instability. I’ve worked closely with multidisciplinary teams when clients required a higher level of support and helped individuals regain stability while moving toward meaningful recovery. I’ve also facilitated and developed therapeutic groups, contributed to program development and clinical programming, and helped create and coordinate structured program schedules across multiple levels of care. My approach draws from evidence-based, trauma-informed modalities including CBT, DBT, Motivational Interviewing, and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy.
First session
In our first session, you can expect a calm, supportive space to simply be yourself. We’ll talk about what brings you here and what you hope to gain, moving at a pace that feels right for you.
Strengths
What stands out about my approach is that I see each client as a whole person, not simply a diagnosis or set of symptoms. I take a collaborative, strengths-based, and solution-focused approach that considers your experiences, values, relationships, and individual needs. I believe you are the expert on yourself and in the driver’s seat of your own life. My role is to help you recognize your strengths, build confidence in your abilities, develop practical tools, and identify meaningful steps toward your goals. I also value the recovery approach, particularly understanding the difference between what we can control and what we cannot. Focusing our energy on what is within our control while learning to release what isn’t can be an important part of creating change. I strive to be direct and honest while also making sure you feel heard, respected, and comfortable. Your voice matters in therapy, and I believe treatment should move at a pace and in a direction that feels supportive and meaningful to you.
Ideal clients
I work with clients navigating a wide range of concerns, from life transitions, relationships, self-esteem, and personal growth to healing from trauma and abuse, substance use and recovery, and mood-related concerns. I also support clients experiencing more persistent or complex mental health challenges, including chronic depression and periods of significant emotional distress. Wherever you are in your journey, my goal is to meet you with compassion, honesty, and a focus on helping you understand yourself, recognize your strengths, and create meaningful change.
Origin story
I’ve always been a helper and a problem-solver by nature. From a young age, I naturally gravitated toward people who were struggling and found myself wanting to understand what they were going through and help them find a way forward. I’ve always found a deep sense of fulfillment in watching people grow, overcome challenges, and make meaningful changes that improve their lives. Through my own life experiences, I developed a strong passion for mental health and, more importantly, for the belief that change is always possible. Becoming a therapist gave me the opportunity to combine my natural desire to help others with my clinical training and a deeper understanding of the many factors that shape our mental health, relationships, and sense of self. One of the things I value most about this work is helping clients recognize that their most difficult chapters do not have to define their entire story. When you’re in the middle of something painful, it can be incredibly difficult to imagine feeling differently or moving forward. Therapy can provide a safe space to slow down, gain perspective, develop new tools, and begin creating meaningful change. I know that struggling with mental health can feel uncertain and isolating, but you don’t have to navigate it alone. My hope is to help you recognize your own strengths, discover possibilities you may not see yet, and remember that there is always more to your story. Healing and growth are possible, and I’m honored to walk alongside clients as they find their way there.
Ongoing work together
Working together will be collaborative and individualized. We’ll focus on what you want to change, build on your strengths, and find practical ways to help you move forward. We’ll track progress by regularly checking in on your goals, what is improving, what still feels challenging, and how the strategies we’re using are working in your day-to-day life. You’ll know you’re making progress when you begin to feel more confident in yourself, more capable of handling challenges, and more in control of the choices and outcomes within your reach.
Treatment methods
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
I use DBT to build practical skills for managing emotions, coping with difficult situations, improving relationships, and responding to challenges in healthier ways.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I use CBT to help clients recognize and challenge unhelpful thought patterns and develop more balanced ways of thinking.
Narrative
I use narrative therapy to help clients explore the stories they’ve developed about themselves and their experiences, while separating them from the problems they face.
Strength-Based
I use a strengths-based approach to help clients recognize their existing strengths, build confidence, and develop practical ways to navigate life’s challenges.
Motivational Interviewing
I use Motivational Interviewing to help clients explore their goals, strengthen motivation, and work through uncertainty about making changes.
Location
Virtual sessions