Research and evidence-based therapy and counseling
Stress and trauma therapy to help you get back to yourself and your life.
Counseling and Therapy
It can be difficult to reach out to someone for support when you are struggling. You may have noticed that your more irritable than regularly, you don’t really enjoy the things you used to, sleep has been a challenge, and you may feel like you have lost yourself. For others, maybe you’re drinking more than you’d like to be, your using more cannabis or substances than you’d like to and life feels like it is moving too fast. Oftentimes this also impacts peoples’ relationships and marriages where they know something is wrong, but doing something about it feels exhausting when they already have everything else going on.
Therapy is an effective way of getting things back on track.
Dr. Matt Rensi is an active independent researcher who reads, implements, conducts and publishes research. Below you will find his published studies, and others currently in process will appear here as they are completed.
Research
Rensi, M., Geisler, J., Jacques, J., & Silber, C. (2024) Understanding Anxiety. Journal Ment Health Disord.;4(1):1-7.
Rensi, M., & Dykeman, C. (2022). The diagnosis of substance use disorders over the past century: Implications for addiction counselors. Annual Review of Addictions and Offender Counseling, 5, 117-140.
Rensi, M., Barta, M., Moreno, J., McCullough, R., Glaus, R., Lundblad, R., ... & Dykeman, C. (2024). Examining the Key Topics in Research Articles on Burnout Among Firefighters, Police Officers, and First Responders: A Topic Modeling Analysis. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 1-9.
In review with the Journal of
Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision: Evaluating Generative AI for Depression Diagnosis: Implications for Counselor Education and Supervision
In review with the Journal of Trauma Care: Topic Modeling the Academic Discourse on Critical Incident Stress Debriefing and Management (CISD/CISM) for First Responders
Why Dr. Rensi?
Therapy Approaches - I am trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Trauma-Focused CBT, Motivational Interviewing (MI), Integrative Family Therapy and Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
Education - I hold both a Master’s and Ph.D. in counseling, and while only the Master’s is needed to work as a counselor, the additional education helps me to provide a higher quality of clinically relevant therapy for my clients.
Therapist Supervision - As a supervisor of other therapist, I provide training and education that keeps me up-to-date on research and therapy best practice. I continually develop my technique using the latest in scientific data to provide the best possible care for my clients.
Personal Experience - I have struggled through my own journey with mental health and have a unique perspective that helps me connect with and aid my clients.
Military Background - I served in the Marine Corps in the infantry on three combat tours. This helped me to develop the ability to cope with distressing situations, a robust work ethic, and a high commitment to excellence, which I now use to serve my clients.
FAQ
Do you take insurance? If not, why?
No, currently I do not take insurance. I don’t like the idea of having your information available to an insurance company. Additionally, not having to deal with insurance frees me up to focus on providing the best quality services to you.
Where are you located?
I am in the South Bay Area of California, but I currently only see clients online. I am licensed in California, Oregon and Idaho.
Who do you work with?
I work with adults and teenagers, individuals, families and couples.
Therapy, over the internet, does that work?
While therapy over telehealth is not for everyone, research shows that it is effective. Many people find it more desirable as it is easy to access, convenient without the need to drive to an office, and flexible for those that might need sessions over a lunch break, for example.
What are your fees?
Individual and Couples counseling is $175 per 45-50 minute session.
Supervision depends on the specific contract.
Speaking and Training is negotiated per contract.
Is there a max participant number for trainings?
I’ve run trainings for intimate groups as small as 3 to groups of over 200 participants. My trainings tend to have an active participation component regardless of the size.
Do you offer super bills? What is a super bill?
Yes, I offer super bills, but I have to give you a diagnosis for that to apply and you will need to check with your insurance about what they will cover. A super bill is essentially a receipt that you take to your insurance to ask for reimbursement. This is sometimes called Out of Network (OON) benefits. If and how much your insurance reimburses depends on the company, with some having covered 50-70% of my fee in the past. Please check with your insurer for your specific coverage details.
Will therapy help me?
Research tends to suggest that about 80% of people who get therapy will do better than people who do not get therapy (Wamplod, 2007).
How helpful therapy is for you depends on a number of factors, which is why I encourage you to get in touch for a free 15 minute consultation to see if I’d be a good fit to help you.