In the last two months, Matt appeared as an expert both on TV and in several publications, addressing financial decision-making, mental health and relationship challenges of the holidays, childfree relationships, and difficult conversations about a loved one’s health.
Most recently, Matt spoke with Vogue about how a good, organized wallet, as opposed to the immediacy of digital payments, may lead to better, less impulsive financial decisions. In “Do Better Finances Come Down to a Better Wallet?” he explained how examining a physical wallet can be an intervention that relates to primary and secondary process thinking. “In cognitive therapy, we talk about inserting pauses,” he revealed, “For example, if someone has a temper, we might work to help them slow down their response even by a few seconds. In that interval, there’s a chance for what we call secondary process thinking and behaviors to come online.” In this way, an organized wallet can be “a tool that is going to better support behaviors more aligned with what you want to accomplish in your life.”
In preparation for the emotional onslaught many feel during the holidays, Matt joined FOX Carolina for a news segment, “4 Tips to Navigate Holiday Blues and Mental Health Challenges.” In particular, he observed that patients frequently are surprised by their experiences of grief during the holidays and that feeling down during the season may have to do with mourning a loss. He also cautioned against the impulse to overspend. There is, as he said, “a lot of pressure in that regard to keep up with the neighbors and meet expectations,” which can get people into trouble.
The holidays also inspired The New York Post to seek Matt’s response to a survey that revealed a third of Americans were tempted to cheat at a holiday party with almost two in ten that did. In “Hold That Nog! Nearly 20% of Workers Cheat on Partners at Office Holiday Parties: Survey,” Matt asserted that attraction between coworkers likely developed over time. “I suspect most hookups at holiday parties are ones that have been brewing for awhile,” he stated.
For Metro UK’s “This is What’s Really Going on When You Judge Couples Who Choose Not to Have Kids,” Matt addressed the backlash against a couple’s viral TikTok on the benefits of being in a DINK (dual income no kids) relationship. Some of this reaction may be tied to envy some parents feel about the sacrifices they had to make for their kids. As he emphasized, “People boasting about their childfree status exposes the conflicts about parenting that all parents have but few are able to admit.”
In “How to Talk to a Loved One About Their Health” for Vox, Matt encouraged those who are concerned about a loved one’s health to approach the issue with curiosity and openness rather than declarative statements. This can be especially helpful as family members or friends may have traumatic medical experiences that can prevent them from seeking medical care. “People have bad experiences with doctors and those bad experiences can be both in the form of not getting good health guidance, and also in the form of maybe getting good health guidance but maybe not being treated well…or not being treated with dignity or experiencing body shaming or someone not being accommodating of a disability or racism or sexual assault,” he said.