Matt recently spoke with several publications on topics ranging from sex therapy to empathy fatigue to what polyamory can teach monogamous couples. He also published his own article with The Well-Caffeinated Mom on the under-discussed experience of estrangement. 

For The Cut’s “A Beginner’s Guide to Sex Therapy,” Matt offered advice for individuals and couples looking for a sex therapist. While not a sex therapist himself, Matt asserted that all good therapists should be fluent and comfortable in talking about sex with patients. However, for those searching for a qualified sex therapist, he emphasized that people should seek someone who isn’t “super-heteronormative.” “Sex is a domain where we need to be able to invite our wonderful uniqueness and strangeness,” he said.

Why are we so collectively fascinated with famous alleged affairs? That’s the question Business Insider asked Matt in response to Lady Rose Hanbury getting dragged into the social media fray around Kate Middleton due to an unsubstantiated affair with Prince William. In the article, Matt pointed out how this fascination with infidelity speaks to our fears about the stability of our relationships. He explained, “It evokes this idea of, ‘Gosh, I was going along thinking everything with my partner was fine, but I thought everything with William and Kate was fine.’”

Success Magazine spoke with Matt in “Empathy Fatigue Is Real. Here’s How to Manage It” about the drain of empathy fatigue, which can arise with an overexpression of empathy. For instance, if a friend is going through a tough situation, there can be a drive to think: “I ought to feel all of the intensity of this excruciating experience along with them.” Matt urged for the need to assert boundaries, as well as continually consider: “Do I take on too much of other people’s stuff?” For some, this may be harder to discern and correct. In these cases, therapy can help “reorganize their relationship with empathy.”

In MindBodyGreen’s “4 Skills Monogamous Couples Can Learn From Polyamorous Partnerships,” Matt articulated how polyamorous couples have to more consciously navigate and co-create the rules of their relationships in ways that monogamous couples don’t but could learn from. For example, polyamory requires more open conversation, as well as an appreciation for the necessity of close relationships outside of the primary partnership. Even for monogamous couples, Matt noted, “It’s nice to be close to people other than your spouse, and in fact, I think it’s healthier. People’s marriages tend to be healthier when we have other people we’re close to.” 

Matt’s article “Breaking Off Relations with Toxic Family Members—It’s Not Just Good; It’s Necessary” in The Well-Caffeinated Mom explored why estrangement is such a common but rarely talked about experience. According to Matt, the discomfort many feel around estrangement relates to fears about family and mistreatment, particularly for parents whose response frequently “relates to the fear that they might be doing it wrong.” Ultimately, Matt concluded that while ending a harmful family relationship is an important and brave start, “there is also self-work and healing to do too.”