Online therapy for gay men navigating body image and eating disorders and anxiety
Individual and group therapy across MA, NY, ME, and FL.
You’re tired of fighting what you see in the mirror.
Life was supposed to feel easier by your thirties, and on paper it does: the career, the friends, maybe a partner. But the voice criticizing your body has been there as long as you can remember, and no plan, program, or number on the scale has ever silenced it.
Maybe it was last night, watching your partner's face a half-second too long after you took your shirt off, trying to read whether he was disappointed. Maybe it's the math you run before every meal (calories, macros, whether you've "earned" it) while everyone else at the table just eats. Or the extra cardio after a dinner out, the week planned around the gym, the low-grade panic when you have to miss a day.
Being a gay man shaped a lot of this. The shirtless profile pics, the countdown to Pride or P-town, the friend group where someone's always "cutting" or "saving their calories for later." Years of being sized up taught you to see your body the way you imagined other men would, and you've never fully stopped.
And it takes up so much space in your mind. You catch your reflection in a store window and your whole mood shifts. You skip plans because you don't know what they'll be serving, or because you "haven't been good" this week. Even in your most intimate moments, you're thinking about how you look instead of actually being there.
You're not vain, and you're not failing. You're exhausted from fighting your own body, and part of you knows there has to be a better way to live.
Maybe you’re here because…
You've eaten the same few "safe" meals for so long, you've forgotten what you actually like.
You're the one everyone leans on, and you can't remember the last time you leaned on anyone.
You binge when no one's watching, then promise yourself tomorrow will be different.
One slow reply to a text can throw off your whole day.
You can see that other men's bodies are fine. You just hate your own.
You train through injuries, illness, and exhaustion, because skipping feels worse than the pain.
Plenty of people like you. Almost no one really knows you.
Hey. I’m Dr. Matt Richardson.
You've spent years trying to change your body. Let's work on why it's felt so necessary.
Body image and eating disorders in gay and bisexual men aren’t discussed enough, and they’re rarely treated as a specialty. I know from personal experience how isolating that can be. It's why my dissertation focused on how gay and bisexual men cope with appearance discrimination on Grindr, and why I built my practice around this work
Many of the men I work with look confident and put-together, but inside they're constantly sizing themselves up against other guys, and their relationship with food has become complicated. What starts as a focus on health gradually becomes a measure of worth and belonging.
You don't need a diagnosis, the right words, or a crisis to reach out. A lot of the men I work with started out unsure whether they even belonged here. If this is costing you peace, you do.
Specializing in:
If food, your body, and how you look in gay spaces take up more mental space than you'd like, this is where we start.
For gay and bisexual men ready to stop editing themselves to feel safe in relationships, in dating, in everyday life.
For gay and bisexual men navigating anxiety, perfectionism, and the exhaustion of never feeling like they're enough.
Articles on Body Image, Eating Disorders & Gay Men's Mental Health
How to get started
01 - Reach Out
When you're ready, book a free consultation with me. We’ll talk about what you're looking for, I’ll answer your questions, and we’ll get a sense of whether we're a good fit for each other. If it doesn't feel right, I'll share referrals so you can find the right support.
02 - Jump In
Once your intake is scheduled, I’ll send you simple instructions to set up your Sessions Health client portal. You’ll fill out a few forms ahead of time so that when we meet, we can focus on your experiences, the challenges you’ve been carrying, and the future you want to build.
03 - Feel Better
Over time, the constant noise about food, your body, and whether you’re attractive enough starts to quiet down. You compare yourself to other guys less often, and meals or workouts no longer carry so much pressure or guilt. You start to feel more at home in your own skin, more open in relationships, and less burdened by shame.