About Matt Barclay

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I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in the State of Maryland specializing in Relational-Cultural Therapy with individuals, children, and families. In the 25+ years since I became a psychotherapist, I have developed expertise in the following areas:

• Child and adolescent development
• Relational problems
• Sex and sexuality
• Anger and behavior management
• Disabilities such as deafness and blindness
• Spiritual brokenness
• Overcoming internal resistance 

I maintain a private practice in Bowie, MD.  

I am skilled in American Sign Language.

Education
I earned my Master's in Community Counseling in 1995 from Youngstown State University, a CACREP-accredited program in Ohio. I hold a PhD in Transformative Studies from the California Institute of Integral Studies.

License
I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in the State of Maryland (License #LC4564).

 As a relational therapist, I believe that we are hard-wired for connection from birth and that disconnection in any form hurts. Relational-Cultural Therapy (RCT) challenges the assumption that the ultimate developmental goal for every individual is independence. Instead, RCT assumes that the ultimate developmental goal for human beings is interdependence. RCT also suggests that we are drawn toward people with whom we share some meaningful connection, mutual empowerment, mutual empathy and relational authenticity; or in other words, growth-fostering relationships. 

My goal is to help you heal relational wounds, unlock your highest self, and help you to lead a life that is worth celebrating. While we can't go back in time and change difficult or painful situations in our past, we can work together to better understand and resolve past and present relational challenges in your life. 

Whether you're looking for extra support and guidance through a challenging situation or you're just ready to live a more authentic life, I am here to support you and walk that sacred journey with you. 

I look forward to working with you to achieve your goals. 

Are you ready to make a change?

1-301-741-3464

matt@inertiacounseling.com 

 About 20 years ago, I lost sight in my right eye to a rare congenital anomaly that resulted in abnormally small holes in the bones framing the back of my orbital sockets where the optic nerves pass through on their way from my retinas to the visual cortex in my brain. In 2000, a flare-up of my optic nerve (optic neuritis) left no space for my optic nerve to go through the hole. This created a choke point in my right optic nerve resulting in permanent vision loss in that eye. In 2018, the same thing happened in my left eye, resulting in permanent vision loss in that eye, as well. 

Although I am now legally blind, I am not totally blind. I have some light perception in my left eye and no central or peripheral vision in my right eye. I call it "donut vision" because if you were to put a donut on a plate, I could see the donut, but not the plate. But all vision takes place in the brain, not really in the eye, and the brain is great at compensating. My brain creates a composite image of the visual information my eye sends via what is left of my optic nerve and essentially knits together a visual image that I can understand. I sometimes don't get colors right, and I need high contrast to see differences between objects that are similar in color.

So, what does all this mean for you? You might see me occasionally scanning your face or looking over your shoulder at times to get as much visual information as I can. It also means I sometimes have difficulty following long email threads (texting is always the best option). If you are deaf and communicate in ASL, I may need you to slow your signing down a little, especially when you fingerspell.

Other than these specific impacts, most people can't even tell I am blind until they see me with my guide dog. His name is Neon, by the way. 

If you have any questions about my blindness or what I can see, feel free to ask me. I'm an open book about these things. 

-Matt