I’m so excited to meet you!

Hello! My name is Matthew Raymond and I am really looking forward to working alongside you as you reach your goals. Here’s a little more about me!

I identify as a white, cis-gender, gay man and I am married to an incredible partner in an interracial relationship. I grew up in rural New York, where being openly gay was not acceptable and most people were trying to live the “white-picketed fence” lifestyle.

As a gay man, I am especially attuned to the many challenges that face my community. Queer people often have to exercise hypervigilance during our youth in order to remain safe. Our experience in the closet can easily cause us to constantly work at creating an image for other people that is acceptable. We become expert performers. However, when we come out of the close the work is rarely finished. We move from performing for heteronormative society to performing for gay society and our internalized shame and lack of self-worth often just follows us right into our next community.

I completed my Master’s degree in Psychotherapy at Antioch University in December 2023. In that time I have worked as a Mental Health trainee at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, providing individual therapy with clients through telehealth. I currently work as an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist at Amend Treatment Center in Malibu, providing individual, family, and group therapy sessions. I am also currently taking on new clients in both a coaching and therapy capaciity.