Matthew Bayne at Path Forward Counseling

What stories shape your sense of self and the world? Have you found yourself stuck or disempowered by the stories you tell about yourself or others? With my unique background in mental health counseling and doctorate in English Literature, I approach therapy as a collaborative, meaning-making process informed by story, culture, and connection. I aim to make your life more robust by empowering you to widen narrative possibilities. Given my continued connection to educational spaces, I am especially interested in the stories we tell ourselves about education, learning, and development (and the stresses that come with expectations around perfectionism).
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My approach is shaped by a strong awareness of “systems,” including educational/academic systems, recognizing that personal suffering is inseparable from how we are shaped by cultural and historical contexts. Through attuned listening to your story across the systems you inhabit, I work to position you as the author of your own life. I undertake a collaborative, rather than authoritative role in my therapeutic work.
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I am interested in an array of identities and “concerns” such as grief, depression, anxiety, “disordered” eating, existential dilemmas, LGBTQ-facing issues, illness, transitions, attachment, academic experiences, etc. Likewise, I employ a variety of approaches in my work—ACT, DBT, psychodynamic, narrative therapy, creative arts therapies, Gestalt, psychodynamic therapy, Internal Family Systems. At the core, I utilize a reparative lens: rather than solely foregrounding wounds, I champion joy, resilience, and the potential for healing. I invite you to embark on this path forward with me as we build a therapeutic space for honoring the complexity of your story and work to cultivate wholeness.