Lawrence Matheny, LPC, LMFT

Lawrence Matheny is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) practicing in Virginia. He brings 34 years of clinical experience and a long history of pastoral ministry to his work. He focuses on addictions, mood concerns, trauma, relationships, and grief among other issues. He emphasizes practical steps people can use to feel better and reach goals.

He often uses client-centered conversation to help people identify strengths and next steps. He also draws on cognitive behavioral and solution-focused techniques to change unhelpful thoughts and build concrete skills. Trauma-focused work is part of his approach when past wounds are central to current problems.

Matheny's background includes decades in psychiatric hospitals and community mental health and substance abuse settings. That experience shaped his approach to serious and persistent mental illness, depression, anxiety, and addiction. He also has experience with caregiving stress, aging concerns, autism spectrum issues, and family-of-origin problems.

His pastoral ministry experience and a second master’s degree in Pastoral Ministry mean he is comfortable discussing faith when it matters to a person’s goals. He has worked with people from many faith backgrounds and with LGBTQIA individuals. He seeks to help people use their existing strengths to make steady change.

Sessions focus on clear goals, real-life strategies, and short-term steps people can try between meetings. He frames counseling as a collaborative process and encourages clients to take an active role in the work ahead.

How these approaches translate to online care

Client-Centered Therapy asks the therapist to listen closely and follow the person’s lead. Online work using this approach focuses on building rapport, identifying priorities, and supporting a person’s own goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches practical skills to change them. Online CBT often emphasizes short exercises and between-session practice to build new habits that reduce anxiety, depression, or addictive behaviors.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss options and choose methods based on the person’s needs, goals, and preferences. That decision is collaborative and can be adjusted as therapy progresses.

Session formats are not listed in the provided biography, so confirm current session options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit counseling into a busy life by removing travel time and allowing appointments during breaks or evenings. They also make it simpler to maintain momentum between visits through brief check-ins or focused skill practice. Licensed professionals can adapt exercises and homework to the online setting so people can try skills in their everyday routines.