Dr. Bitsko is the Founder and Director of Summit Emotional Health. He received his M.S. in Counseling Psychology from Springfield College in 1997 and worked the next four years with both elite athletes and substance-abusing adolescents and their families. Matt received his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in 2006 and completed his Internship and Postdoctoral Fellowship at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Matt works primarily with adolescents, adults, and families, and specializes in mood, anxiety, and adjustment disorders. His eleven years on faculty at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond (CHoR) at VCU provided him with extensive experience helping clients and families address the many emotional aspects of confronting a medical diagnosis, including adjusting and thriving under such circumstances, as well as coping with grief and bereavement. While at CHoR, Matt also wrote or co-authored over 20 research articles and helped in the training and education of many future psychologists.
Matt uses a variety of clinical techniques and approaches based on the individual needs of the client and family, including Interpersonal Process Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Existential Theory. Overall, he works with all clients to navigate the many transitions of life with a focus on thriving and complete emotional health. Matt is a two-time recipient of Richmond Magazine’s “Top Docs” award.
Matt enjoys spending time with his wife and three wonderful children – who teach him more every day than any textbook could! With them, he strives to be an active husband, father, athlete and life-long learner.
Matt also enjoys serving the Richmond community. He is a current Board Member of the Cameron K Gallagher Foundation and is proud to have previously served as a Board Member of Comfort Zone Camp and ASK Childhood Cancer Foundation (Ex-Officio).