Hi!
I'm Dr. Matt Hiveley and I provide therapy/counseling to individuals,
couples, and families here at Central Iowa Psychological Services.
I
specialize in the areas of relationships, communication, general parenting,
adolescent concerns, separation/divorce, grief/loss, self-esteem,
anger management, stress management, depression, anxiety, panic, phobias,
obsessive-compulsive behaviors, and adult symptoms of Attention-Deficit
Disorder (ADD).
My
office is a safe and non-judging environment. My goals in therapy
are to build a healthy, trust-based relationship with each and every
person I work with, to listen to you and empathize with the struggles
you are experiencing, to help you focus on your strengths (that I
know you have!), to help you challenge harmful and pessimistic thinking,
to help you openly and honestly express your emotions, to help you
accept yourself for who you are, and to empower you to make positive
changes toward achieving your goals in life.
I
primarily use Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as well as principles
from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). CBT recognizes the connections
between our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and ACT stresses acceptance
of emotions and mindful awareness of thoughts. Both CBT and ACT are
research-based treatments that are very effective with many mental
health concerns, particularly with both depression and anxiety. Over
the years I have seen first-hand how effective these treatments can
be with many types of emotional, mental, behavioral, and relational
difficulties.
For
phobias and obsessive-compulsive behaviors, I use Exposure Therapy
which is extremely effective in helping clients learn to face their
fears, to not use avoidant behaviors, and reduce and more effectively
manage symptoms of anxiety and panic.
Sessions
for adults who are struggling with symptoms of Attention-Deficit Disorder
(ADD) are more skill-based and structured around three areas that
include (1) organization and planning, (2) reducing distractibility,
and (3) adaptive thinking, which uses principles from Cognitive-Behavioral
Therapy (CBT).
With
couples, I use research from Dr. John Gottman who is well known in
the field of marriage and family therapy for identifying both effective
and ineffective forms of communication in relationships. It's no secret
that the primary struggle in virtually all relationships is communication,
and better communication can lead to a better relationship.
I
thoroughly enjoy working with children, adolescents, adults, couples,
and families, from all walks of life, and feel honored to have the
opportunity to participate in the process of helping people improve
their lives. I look forward to meeting with you!
