Chris A. Matthews

Chris is available to conduct trainings, presentations, and speeches for your organization or next event. As an entrepreneur and expert on topics pertaining to relationships, leadership, mental health, and business, Chris provides value to a variety of audiences. With over more than a decade of experience speaking to groups across various sectors, Chris has mastered the art of crafting presentations and training that are both entertaining and informative.

Chris A. Matthews is the founder, owner and clinical director of Relationship Counseling Group, LLC and Behavioral Health Intervention Center, LLC, which are two private therapeutic

and mental health practices based out of Charlotte, North Carolina. Chris is a licensed marriage and family therapist, (LMFT), licensed clinical addiction specialist, (LCAS), certified clinical

supervisor (CCS) and approved supervisor for the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). Chris holds both a Master of Science degree in Organizational Leadership

and a Master of Arts degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. For more than a decade, Chris has worked in a variety of settings providing counseling and training to a diverse population of

organizations, couples, and individuals. In 2016, Chris made a choice to exclusively treat couples. Since that time, he has accumulated thousands of hours delivering counseling to intimate partners seeking healing from a variety of relationship issues. Moreover, Chris used his experience and training as a Marriage and Family Therapist to author his first book, Finding Your Relationship Fix: The Four Reasons Why Couples Seek Counseling.

To learn more about Chris A. Matthews, visit his personal website www.chrisAmatthews.com.

In 2012, I graduated with my Masters’ of Science in Leadership and Organizational Change Management degree and was accepted into Leadership Charlotte, which is a two-year program designated for emerging and existing community leaders. During the first program day, I completed the DISc assessment which measures personality, teamwork, leadership and behavioral styles. My overall results illustrated that I have a D style, which stands for dominance. The most validating finding was that the assessment narrative confirmed I am a pioneering leader. Pioneering leaders bring people together in order to accomplish their goals, they are good at initiating change and they are most comfortable taking the lead. The information I gained from this assessment influence my decision at the time to quit my job and commit all of my attention to the behavioral health company I founded a year prior in 2011.

For more than a decade, as the founder and owner of Behavioral Health Intervention Center, LLC, I have provided substance abuse counseling and mental health services to more than 14,000 consumers in North and South Carolina. Currently, my business is comprised of three locations, fifteen staff, and two scholarship foundations. We deliver direct care services 348 days a year and play a major role in keeping the public safe by providing specialized treatment interventions to impaired drivers, employees who test positive for alcohol and drugs and misdemeanor offenders seeking deferred prosecution. We are one of the preferred treatment providers for the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office, Atrium Health’s Employee Assistant Program and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Center for Wellness.

In 2013, I returned to graduate school to pursue a Master of Arts Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, after evaluating the next steps for my business. From examining internal reviews from staff, it became evident I needed to obtain clinical supervisory credentials in order to better recruit, train and manage my team of clinicians. At the conclusion of my second master’s program, I became a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist, Certified Clinical Supervisor, and an approved supervisor for the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapist. Currently, a large portion of my time in my business is delegated to grooming and developing clinical staff, so they can provide the highest quality of care to our clients. When I became an entrepreneur, I adapted the belief that I have a responsibility to constantly grow myself personally and professionally, to help as many people as possible. In order for me to practice this principle, I challenged myself to start a second business, Relationship Counseling Group, which I founded in 2016.

In addition to my formal training, I incorporate my life experiences as a husband and father of three into my practice of therapy. In 2006, me and my girlfriend (current wife), unexpectedly became pregnant with our first child while dating and attending college. Getting pregnant instantly created an “us against the world” mentality and, at that moment, I took my first steps into manhood by choosing to put my relationship first. I had known other young men who had become teenage fathers. Many had said outright that they would do whatever it took to be there for their child, but this didn’t always include being present in the relationship with the child’s mom. I made the choice to love my son by first learning how to love his mother. This included leading by example—we both worked hard on ourselves by completing our degrees on time and worked even harder on building our intimate relationship. My wife made me earn her hand in marriage by committing to her through my actions. While in college, I worked two jobs from Monday through Thursday and attended classes during the day. Thursday nights when I got off work, I drove three hours to spend the weekend with her and my son until Monday morning when I had to wake up at 5 a.m. and drive three hours back to my school for classes that began at 9 a.m. I did this routine for two and a half years with no complaints, but instead with the hope that my efforts would build a solid family foundation. I recall my internship preceptor telling the story about how he witnessed me at a restaurant he visited, valeting cars and running back and forth with the passion that someone would only have if they were working for more than just tips. He was right—I was working to provide for my family. The focus and dedication I had for my wife and son were built on the hope that I would be a good husband and father. That hope can only be measured by my work. The same goes for the couples I treat-seeking to build or rebuild their intimate relationships in therapy.

I invest all my time and energy outside of the office into my family. As a family we enjoy playing and watching sports, riding bikes, traveling, and trying new restaurants. My wife and I work extremely hard daily to grow and build our marriage. We do this by holding each other accountable for our own personal growth. We are constantly trying to get better each day by focusing on our ability to serve humanity. In 2019, my wife joined me as a business partner and the co-owner of the Behavioral Health Intervention Center. She is responsible for the day to day operations and assuring the business strives to provide the highest quality of services to our consumers.