Hello. Matt Orbell here. Welcome to my website! I’m a licensed psychologist in Oregon and here’s a little bit about my practice, Pacific Valley Counseling. I chose to formally name my practice because at some point I may grow it into a larger group practice, in which case it would need a name. For the time being, however, I’ve chosen to remain a solo practitioner. I’m located in Eugene on 18th and Willamette. 

Improving one’s mental health tends to be a multifaceted endeavor, so there are a variety of approaches available to us. Here are some examples of how I practice therapy. Generally speaking, if you want to feel better, then you likely need to learn to identify what you are actually feeling, moment-to-moment, both physically and emotionally, and then use that information to make more rewarding decisions. This may sound obvious. Nevertheless, many of us struggle to identify our emotions effectively. We struggle to put our feelings into words and to express or assert our needs. We struggle to notice the ways our bodies respond to our circumstances, which keeps us locked in unhappy patterns. This can be especially true if we’ve experienced trauma, but it can remain true in the absence of significant trauma. Learning to identify, to articulate, and to respond skillfully to our emotions and to our bodies can greatly improve our well-being. In fact, such skills can lead to a larger process of self-discovery. As I noted on my Psychology Today page, the therapeutic process can help you be less encumbered by the ways you think you are supposed to be—such as always strong, never angry, never vulnerable, always happy—so you can allow yourself to embody the person you actually are, while striving toward the person you want to be, instead of always obsessing over being the person you’ve been told you should be.

There is an interpersonal aspect to improving one’s mental health. I regularly encourage my clients to tend to their important social relationships—their friendships, romantic partnerships, their family relationships—because we are highly social primates and the quality of these relationships greatly affects our mental health. In fact, many people come to therapy to work specifically on relationship problems. So, things you and I could discuss include communication and assertiveness skills, honesty, vulnerability, and authenticity in relationships with others.  

I also focus on my clients’ physical self-care. As much as individual limitations permit, I encourage my clients to prioritize high quality sleep, to maintain healthy, regular diets, and to get appropriate exercise. This is because research suggests that tending to our physical needs helps us better regulate our emotions.

I encourage my clients to learn practical skills for managing distressing or obsessive thoughts. Such skills include meditation, distress tolerance, and the correction of negative thought patterns. Interestingly, research suggests that regular and relatively brief sessions of meditation can actually change our brains in ways that make us less anxious and more focused. 

I hope this information is helpful. If you’d like to schedule a free consultation you can contact me with the information on this site. If it seems like we will work well together, great. If I am not the best fit for you, then I will try to help you find a suitable referral. 

Finally, I’ll add a bit about me. I grew up here in Eugene, though I’ve lived in Tennessee, Georgia, and Wisconsin as an adult, and in Utah and Pennsylvania as a child. I think this is a beautiful area. I like to jog and hike and go for walks, all the usual stuff. I like to read. I also like TV, and I probably watch too many shows and too many movies on too many streaming platforms—but I’m trying to strike a healthy balance in there somewhere. 

That’s all from me. Thanks for checking out my page.