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Colleen Moloney, LCSW.

I have been a practicing social worker (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) and therapist for over 25 years, and I have been in private practice for nearly 20 years. I am licensed with the state of Oregon (OR 2177). My office is located in an interesting old building on NE Alberta Street in Portland.

My career has taken twists and turns along the way, but has remained firmly in the world of social work and therapy. This field is where I belong - it is work I love to do, and I do it well.

Background

Though not a native of Portland, I have come to think of myself as a local. Prior to living here, I completed a Masters of Social Work at the University of Illinois. I worked and lived in Chicago for 7 years, but big-city living was not for me, so I relocated to Portland in 1994. Although I loved Chicago, Portland was a welcomed change of pace. I have greatly enjoyed witnessing and participating in the evolution of Portland as it has transformed into the wonderful city it is today.

I have often been told I have classic Midwestern friendliness, approachability, and perhaps a little twinge of the accent. Having been born and raised in a small town outside Chicago, I was influenced by my surroundings, and those qualities remain with me.

Current Work

A primary focus of my work is centered around relationships, as they are fundamental components of our lives. They can be exciting and complicated, and we may require help navigating them.

Relationships exist between partner and spouse, immediate family, children, parents, friends, extended families, classmates, and colleagues - and they also extend to our relationship with communities, society, and nature. Key among these relationships is the one we have with ourselves, which can become a focus of attention as we seek to live our best lives. Identifying these relationships and their effects on our lives can sometimes be difficult, and progressing with them can be illuminating, enlightening, and freeing.

Previous Work

For the first 10 years of my career, I worked in community mental health and specialized hospitals. My work centered around children with chronic illnesses, which extended to working with their families. I worked with the parents of premature babies, women in domestic violence situations, and I also worked with couples and individuals (adults and children) with a variety of mental health issues to resolve.

Several years after completing my Masters of Social Work degree I participated in a three-year training program in Family Centered Therapy which is based on the work of Murray Bowen and Family of Origin work. This work continues to inform my practice today.

I keep current on new ideas in my field by participating in continuing-education programs every year. I also participate in several consultation groups which involve meetings with colleagues to discuss new approaches, challenges, and how to fit new ideas and processes into the work that my clients and I do together.

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I have come to believe that caring for myself is not self-indulgent. Caring for myself is an act of survival.
— Audre Lorde

My office is located in a great old building on NE Alberta, close to many wonderful cafes, shops and an overly delicious bakery.

Casual and comfortable, I try to provide a small sanctuary for clients for the time that we spend together seeking insight, solutions or resolution of issues, or finding tools for living their best life, in the process of becoming the best version of themselves.

I have office hours weekdays, including late days and some early mornings, trying to accommodate for busy and varying client schedules. I do my best to work with scheduling needs.

For more in depth information about my practice and the kinds of work that clients and I do together, please see the Therapy page. To find out more about what to expect prior to scheduling, please review the Fees & Forms page. If you have any questions not answered here on my site, or simply wish to speak with me prior to scheduling, please do not hesitate to call the office at (503) 281-0243.