Danielle Matthew, LMFT

Danielle Matthew, LMFT is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist whose lifelong mission is to treat and support bully victims and their families, aid schools and health and wellness professionals, and educate others about the bullying epidemic. ​ Danielle has worked as a clinician in the field for over 25 years with children and adolescents in various environments including day treatment programs, residential facilities, and outpatient services. ​ She has supervised a therapeutic one-on-one behavioral program, facilitated therapy groups and conducted clinical authorizations for an insurance provider. Danielle has additionally conducted group and individual therapy with adults. ​ In 2014 as Danielle became concerned by an increase in patients suffering from bullying, she conducted research which concluded that while there are many bullying prevention programs, there are few programs in Los Angeles that address the crisis point of bullying to help children and adolescents heal. In response, Danielle developed The Empowerment Space Bullying Therapy Program to ensure that there is crucial support available to empower children and their parents with skills to address bullying and create stronger, more positive support systems for children. ​ Danielle educates schools, medical professionals and the community about the bullying epidemic. She has authored Amazon Parenting Best-Seller, The Empowered Child: How to Help Your Child Cope, Communicate, and Conquer Bullying, and has been featured in Huffington Post, TODAY.com, and has appeared on Fox, ABC and CBS Morning Shows and Mom Talk Radio. ​

Danielle treats bully victims in the greater Los Angeles area, and is available for consultations and speaking engagements nationwide. ​ Danielle also has a private practice in Sherman Oaks, CA, where she helps adolescents, adults, couples and families who are in pain due to issues such as anxiety, severe stress, low self-esteem, or depression. Danielle Matthew is a major contributor to various national news organizations and media sources sharing her expertise as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.

When your child's emotional responses are so huge that they outstrip his or her ability to cope, you've reached a crisis point in bullying. Your child feels that he or she cannot take any more of the bullying, so much so that hurting him or herself feels like the only option. There may be a plan for self-harm or he or she may tell a friend or announce the pain on social media. The child is in a "crisis" as they have no positive, effective coping skills to manage their feelings and have very unsafe ways, such as self-harm to relieve the deep pain inside. In The Empowerment Space program, each session focuses on one skill designed to help your child address bullying with peers. The skills include positive "I" statements, positive self- talk, increased self- esteem skills. I also use role play, to give your child ample opportunity to practice these skills before taking them out into the real world.