Hello! I’m Matthew Tyra, a bisexual cisgender man and Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. I am also licensed as a Professional Counselor in South Carolina and hold the National Certified Counselor credential. I earned my master’s degree in Applied Clinical Psychology from the University of South Carolina Aiken and have nearly a decade of experience providing mental health care to adolescents and adults in inpatient and private-practice settings.

Throughout my career, I have been particularly drawn to supporting people whose experiences are often stigmatized, misunderstood, or considered “too complicated.” My clinical interests include trauma, borderline and other personality disorders, chronic suicidal thoughts and self-harm, depression, anxiety, ADHD, sexuality and intimacy, and difficult relationship patterns. I work with teens, adults, individuals, and couples.

For me, LGBTQIA+-affirming care means more than putting a rainbow on a website or waving a flag in June. Clients should not have to educate their therapist, defend their identity, or wonder whether their sexuality, gender, or relationship structure will automatically be treated as the problem. I welcome clients across the spectrum of sexual orientations and gender identities and provide trans- and nonbinary-affirming, bisexual-affirming, sex-positive, and kink-aware therapy. I also work with clients practicing or exploring polyamory, open relationships, and other forms of ethical non-monogamy.

My therapeutic style is direct, collaborative, practical, and nonjudgmental. I draw from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy-informed interventions, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and trauma-informed care. I value honest conversations, useful skills, and humor when appropriate. My goal is to provide a space where clients can openly discuss identity, sexuality, relationships, trauma, and other difficult or stigmatized experiences without having to sanitize their lives for therapy.

I currently offer in-person therapy in Towson, Maryland, as well as telehealth for clients located in Maryland and South Carolina through Inner Compass Collective. I look forward to helping clients find care in which they can be fully honest, fully understood, and treated as whole people.