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Matt Little | Psychotherapist, Addiction Specialist & Clinical Director

Matt Little, M.A., Dip Couns, MBACP, AP APM, ICAP I, PVI Certified

Psychotherapist | Addiction Specialist | Clinical Director, Pesona Jiwa

Matt Little | Psychotherapist, Addiction Specialist & Clinical Director of Pesona Jiwa – Charm of the Soul, a private trauma, burnout, addiction, and nervous system regulation retreat based in Bali, Indonesia.

With more than 15 years of experience in counselling, psychotherapy, addiction treatment, behavioural health, and mental health recovery, Matt has worked with individuals from diverse backgrounds, including business leaders, healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, creatives, public figures, and those navigating complex trauma, addiction, burnout, anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation, and major life transitions.

His work is informed by a deep appreciation of the relationship between psychological wellbeing, nervous system functioning, attachment, behaviour, and human connection. Over the course of his career, Matt has supported individuals facing a wide range of challenges, from substance and behavioural addictions to chronic stress, emotional exhaustion, relationship difficulties, identity struggles, grief, low self-worth, and the long-term effects of developmental and relational trauma.

Matt holds a Master’s Degree with Distinction in Counselling & Psychotherapy Practice from Bath Spa University and a CPCAB-accredited Diploma in Counselling. He is a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP), an International Certified Addiction Professional (ICAP I), an Advanced Practitioner Member of Addiction Professionals (AP APM), and a Polyvagal-Informed Practitioner (PVI Certified) through the Polyvagal Institute, where he completed specialist training based under Dr Stephen Porges, developer of Polyvagal Theory.

His professional development has focused on integrating evidence-based psychotherapy with contemporary understandings of trauma recovery, nervous system regulation, attachment theory, addiction treatment, behavioural change, and emotional wellbeing. This integrative perspective allows him to work not only with symptoms but also with the underlying patterns and adaptations that often drive human behaviour.

Clinical Approach

Matt’s therapeutic approach combines clinical depth with warmth, authenticity, and genuine human connection.

His work integrates principles and practices drawn from:

While his work is grounded in evidence-based psychotherapy, Matt recognises that many individuals arrive in therapy having spent years trying to think their way out of problems that are rooted as much in the nervous system as they are in conscious thought.

As a result, his approach places particular emphasis on understanding how the autonomic nervous system influences emotional regulation, behaviour, relationships, resilience, and overall wellbeing.

Rather than viewing symptoms such as anxiety, burnout, emotional numbness, addiction, chronic stress, or difficulties switching off as isolated problems, Matt helps individuals understand these experiences within the broader context of nervous system adaptation and survival responses.

This perspective often allows people to move beyond self-judgement and develop a more compassionate understanding of why they feel, think, and behave as they do.

Areas of Clinical Expertise

Matt specialises in supporting individuals experiencing:

A particular area of interest is working with high-functioning individuals who appear successful externally but privately struggle with exhaustion, overwhelm, emotional disconnection, compulsive behaviours, or a persistent sense that something is no longer working despite continued achievement.

Many of the people Matt works with have spent years operating in states of chronic stress, responsibility, hypervigilance, or emotional suppression. While these adaptations may have once been necessary or even rewarded, they often come at a significant cost to wellbeing, relationships, health, and quality of life.

Through psychotherapy and nervous system-informed work, Matt helps individuals develop greater self-awareness, emotional flexibility, resilience, and capacity for meaningful change.

Professional Qualifications and Credentials

Matt’s qualifications and professional memberships reflect a commitment to ongoing learning, professional accountability, and evidence-based practice.

His credentials include:

His Polyvagal-informed training through the Polyvagal Institute has provided advanced understanding of autonomic nervous system functioning, neuroception, emotional safety, co-regulation, trauma recovery, and the biological foundations of human connection.

Matt regularly undertakes continuing professional development in psychotherapy, trauma treatment, addiction recovery, behavioural science, attachment theory, and nervous system regulation to ensure his work remains informed by current research and best practice.

Clinical Director, Pesona Jiwa

As Clinical Director of Pesona Jiwa, Matt provides clinical leadership and therapeutic oversight across all retreat programmes.

He has developed a highly personalised model of care that combines psychotherapy, nervous system regulation, trauma-informed practice, addiction recovery support, holistic wellbeing, and Balinese cultural wisdom within a safe, discreet, and supportive environment.

The retreat model was created in response to a challenge Matt repeatedly observed throughout his career: many individuals seeking support felt lost within large treatment programmes, group retreats, or standardised approaches that failed to recognise their unique experiences and needs.

For this reason, Pesona Jiwa operates differently.

Unlike traditional retreat centres that focus on group experiences, Pesona Jiwa specialises in a one-guest model. Each guest receives dedicated therapeutic attention, personalised treatment planning, and a level of privacy, safety, and clinical depth that is rarely available within larger retreat settings.

This structure allows treatment to be tailored to the individual’s history, nervous system capacity, goals, challenges, and stage of recovery.

Rather than following a fixed programme, support is adapted to the person.

This approach reflects Matt’s belief that meaningful and sustainable change is most likely to occur when people feel genuinely safe, understood, and supported within a therapeutic environment that respects their individuality.

Writing, Education, and Thought Leadership

Alongside his clinical work, Matt writes extensively on trauma recovery, nervous system regulation, addiction treatment, burnout, emotional wellbeing, attachment, and sustainable personal transformation.

His articles explore topics such as:

Through his writing, Matt aims to make complex psychological and nervous system concepts accessible, practical, and clinically accurate for individuals seeking a deeper understanding of themselves and their experiences.

His work reflects a growing recognition that many of the challenges people face are not simply matters of willpower, motivation, or mindset, but are deeply influenced by the state of the nervous system and the body’s ongoing attempts to maintain safety and survival.

Matt’s clinical knowledge has also been published in numerous publications;

Clinical Philosophy

At the heart of Matt’s work is a simple belief:

Meaningful and lasting change becomes possible when people feel safe enough to be seen, understood, and supported without judgement.

His approach is not centred on fixing people, because he does not view people as broken.

Instead, he helps individuals understand the adaptive patterns that have developed throughout their lives, recognise the role these patterns once served, and create new ways of responding that better support their current wellbeing and goals.

Rather than focusing solely on symptom reduction, Matt’s work emphasises creating the conditions for genuine transformation through awareness, connection, emotional regulation, nervous system health, and evidence-based therapeutic support.

His ongoing mission is to help individuals move beyond survival patterns, reconnect with themselves, strengthen resilience, restore wellbeing, and create sustainable change that extends far beyond the retreat experience itself.