About Us

Matrix is one of the oldest and largest independently-owned psychological practices and Employee Assistance Programs in the nation. Since opening our doors in 1976 we have been sought to provide only the highest quality mental health services to our clients across the country. Matrix gets results for the people and organizations we support because a philosophy of excellence permeates every aspect of our practice. Every bit of work we do, with our business clients and individual patients, is client-centric and personal. That allows us to focus on the unique needs of every situation and ensure we deliver the best results possible, every time. Headquartered in Columbus, OH, Matrix has 4 local offices as well as a national network of over 13,000 psychologists and counselors. At Matrix, we set the bar for a new standard of care. To learn more about Matrix, select from the options below.

Our Leadership

Meet Our Founder

Kurt Malkoff, a PhD graduate from The Ohio State University, established Matrix in 1976 as a private practice. Having been raised with close ties to public service, Malkoff envisioned a mental health care organization that would help patients through compassionate, one-on-one interaction, expert psychological care, and innovative programs.

To ensure that Matrix grew into a progressive, service-rich organization, Malkoff invested in relationships with local businesses and medical communities around Columbus. By 1989, his practice expanded from individuals and family care to an acclaimed Employee Assistance Program provider with an outstanding track record for quality, compassionate mental healthcare. To this day, his community relationships hold strong, as does the outstanding reputation his practice earned through the consistent delivery of dependable, patient-focused care.

EAP: The Matrix Difference

Twenty years ago, Employee Assistance Programs had to convince companies of the value of having a robust EAP. It was a different world that had yet to fully understand the importance and role that mental health plays in the workplace. Fast forward to today, and not only do organizations see value in the programs, but most already have some form of an EAP in place. This shift in the marketplace has left many EAP’s to answer the difficult question of how to differentiate themselves in a market oversaturated with programs all claiming to offer the same thing.

This is where Matrix excels. We take a completely different approach to provide EAP by focusing on three key pillars of service.

Beyond Productivity

For many years Employee Assistance Programs have been selling their product by touting how much EAP improves employee productivity by reducing absenteeism and improving performance through addressing mental health concerns. While it is true that EAP does achieve this, the hidden value to EAP lies beyond productivity. At Matrix, we recognize that with healthcare costs rising every day it can become very challenging to provide quality services to employees. Furthermore, with mental health accounting for 2 to 3 of the top 5 reasons employees use their health insurance, it is clear that this creates considerable cost to the employer.

An effective EAP creates value by addressing the bulk of a company’s mental health concerns without the involvement of health insurance. When EAP acts as a funnel for mental health concerns and closes most cases without the involvement of a company’s health plan, it creates a considerable return on investment as the cost of EAP is typically less than the cost of providing that coverage through the health plan.

This is how Matrix differentiates itself, by showing the real value of an EAP goes far beyond simply improving productivity.

Success Driven by Data

We can all agree that accuracy in reporting data is key in evaluating the success of any program. Over the years we have come to realize that this is an area where our competitors have surely failed. Because most EAP’s prioritize the bottom line over the wellness of their members, they offer “utilization guarantees” in order to mask their inadequacy. At Matrix, we have spent the last 45 years developing the most comprehensive, data-driven model for delivering EAP services in the nation. This model translates to the companies we partner with having confidence that the information we provide is both accurate and in the best interest of the member

Here at Matrix, we believe the utilization of a program should primarily be defined as an engagement in counseling with a therapist. We are unique in utilizing this model. Our competitors are forced to report information such as “website hits” and “Phone calls” as utilization of the program in order to meet their lofty utilization guarantees. This is effectively an unethical practice. At Matrix, we choose instead to let our data speak for itself. At Matrix, the data an organization receives on utilization not only protects the confidentially of those using the benefit but provides the most accurate portrayal of how the befit is being utilized.

A Personal Touch

The only way to deliver real value in the business of caring is to actually help the people who need it. You will quickly discover that we will spend considerable time learning about you and your employees because we get to know the people and organizations we support. This is evidenced through our longstanding relationships with corporate clients including Limited Brands, and Nationwide Children’s Hospital who we have been proudly serving for over 30 years.

While other EAP’s move towards automated systems that prioritize profit over precision, Matrix takes a different approach by creating the personal touch that is lacking elsewhere. A person always answers the phone when management or employees call because we refuse to use automated answering systems. You will know we care because we contact every patient 90 days after case closure to evaluate the quality of our service. You’ll know your personal account manager by name, and be able to reach them at a moment’s notice. We recognize that access to mental health services shouldn’t be complicated or stressful, and at Matrix it never will be. This is our guarantee.