ABOUT ME
Are you having difficulty in your social, work, love, or relationship life? Perhaps not adjusting well to a new or changing life situation? Feeling highly anxious or poorly with no physical cause? Having difficulties or conflicts in intimate or other relationships? I can assist you with these and other issues, and successfully moving forward, towards your more ideal life.
My name is Matthew Laker. I am an American citizen and native English speaker living in Prague since 2010.
In 2009, following 7 reasonably successful years in the field of ‘litigation support’ at a global Fortune 100 company, I was ‘called’ to alter my course mid-career to pursue my original intended study in the field of psychology, graduating in 2013 with an MA degree in Clinical Counseling Psychology from Lasalle University at the University of New York in Prague (UNYP). I am currently finishing my research oriented PhD in the First Faculty of Medicine at Charles University in Prague with a dissertation topic on aviophobia, meditation and post traumatic growth.
Counseling/therapy
I take a supportive, non-judgmental approach to the practice. Generally I do not give ‘advice’ as in my view, it is you who are the ‘expert’ on your life situation Instead we will work together as equal partners in approaching the relevant issues. My theoretical orientation is ‘eclectic’, as I prefer to bring the most effective ‘tool’ to a given situation including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Existential approaches, and also Time Perspective Therapy used for working with a difficult or traumatic past. Additionally I utilize a method of hypnotherapy developed by he luminary Milton Erickson which may assist in rapid improvement with some difficulties. A dedicated session for hypnotherapy may be booked below.
I offer service to:
Individuals
Couples
Children-on a case by case basis.
Marital or intimate partner therapy.
Most typically I utilize a method of "controlled discussion" which causes the partners to engage on areas of difference in a productive manner This process will tend to both resolve the differences, and also enhance both partner's acceptance of each other and diminish conflict.
I also have a process which tends to diminish accumulated "hostility", "resentment" or other negative emotions which have accumulated in a distressed relationship. This can be useful in bringing the partners into a place where disputes may be resolved.
