Ryan Mattocks

I believe one of the most important parts of counseling is finding someone you feel comfortable talking to. My path to becoming a counselor has been a little different than most. Before entering the mental health field, I worked in NCAA Division I basketball as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, and my experience in college athletics began as a student manager at Duke University. Those years taught me a great deal about people, relationships, pressure, expectations, success, disappointment, and what it feels like when life doesn't go according to plan.

I later earned my master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and became a Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia. I spent several years working in community behavioral health, including more than a year working in a 23-hour crisis receiving center with people experiencing some of the most difficult moments of their lives. That experience strengthened my belief that people can make meaningful changes even when they feel stuck or uncertain about what comes next.

Today, I especially enjoy working with adolescents, college students, young adults, men, athletes, coaches, and individuals navigating anxiety, stress, confidence and self-esteem concerns, motivation, relationships, performance pressure, and major life transitions. My style is conversational, practical, and straightforward. You don't have to come to counseling knowing exactly what to say or having everything figured out. We can start with where you are, determine where you'd like to go, and work together on the steps that can help you get there.

My approach to therapy is practical, collaborative, and focused on helping you move forward. I believe counseling should provide a space where you can be honest about what you are experiencing without feeling judged, while also developing tools that can make a meaningful difference in your everyday life. I primarily draw from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Solution-Focused Therapy, helping clients recognize patterns in their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors and identify areas where change is possible. I also believe that insight is most valuable when it leads to action, so we will work together to establish realistic goals and practical steps toward achieving them. My background in counseling, crisis intervention, and competitive athletics has shaped my belief that people often have more resilience and capacity for growth than they realize. My role is not to tell you how to live your life, but to help you better understand yourself, identify what you can control, and develop the confidence and skills to take your next step.

Your first session is really about getting to know each other and determining what would make counseling most helpful for you. You don't need to arrive with everything figured out or know exactly what you want to say. We'll talk about what brought you to counseling, what's been going on in your life, what you'd like to be different, and what you hope to gain from our work together.

My style is conversational and collaborative, so you can expect questions, discussion, and an opportunity to share at your own pace. I also want to learn about your strengths, relationships, experiences, and the things that are important to you—not simply the challenges that brought you in.

Before the session ends, we'll begin identifying a few areas we can work on together and what meaningful progress might look like for you. My goal is for you to leave the first session feeling heard, understood, and with a clearer sense of where we can go from here.