- Career and workplace stress
- Evidence informed approaches
- Longstanding clinical experience
About Colleen
Dr. Colleen Downes helps people manage stress, anxiety, work concerns, relationship strain, grief, and changes in life. She also supports those coping with ADHD, parenting pressures, compassion fatigue, and chronic illness. She is Dr. Colleen Downes, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in New York with decades of experience.
She brings 35 years of practice to her work. That background includes mental health, learning disabilities, caregiving, foster care, and adoption settings. People bring practical problems and painful histories, and she focuses on concrete ways to move forward.
Her style is warm and interactive. Sessions center on respectful, nonjudgmental conversation that is tailored to each person's needs. She listens for patterns from the past that affect today's choices and balances that with clear, problem-focused steps people can use right away.
Dr. Downes uses a mix of client-centered, psychodynamic, mindfulness, and solution-focused ideas. That means she pays attention to relationships and past influences while also finding small changes and coping tools that help in daily life. She aims to help clients feel more capable and confident in their roles at work and home.
People who want practical guidance for career stress, parenting strain, medical challenges, or family-of-origin difficulties often find this approach useful. To begin, she asks about current concerns and goals so sessions match what matters most.
Approaches you can try in online sessions
Dr. Downes often blends client-centered work with psychodynamic ideas and practical, solution-focused steps. Client-centered work focuses on the person's experience and priorities, helping them feel heard and steering sessions around what matters most. Psychodynamic ideas look at how past relationships and early patterns influence current behavior and choices, which can help explain repeated difficulties at work or in relationships.Solution-focused techniques look for small, achievable changes that make a quick difference, such as clearer boundaries at work or new coping routines for stress. The therapist will work together with each person to decide which approaches fit best based on goals, needs, and preferences. Finding the right mix is part of the process and is adjusted as progress is made.
If you are considering online therapy, confirm the current session options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy schedule, shorten check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time so therapy fits around work and family demands. Licensed professionals can adapt mindfulness exercises, reflective conversation, and solution-focused tasks to a remote setting to support changes in daily life.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
35+ years
Credentials
New York
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Dr. Downes address?
She works with stress, anxiety, self-esteem, career issues, ADHD, relationship and family concerns, trauma and abuse, grief, parenting, anger, depression, and coping with life changes.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Her style is warm and interactive with respectful, nonjudgmental conversation. She balances attention to past patterns with practical steps people can use day to day.
How many years has she been practicing?
She has 35 years of clinical experience working in mental health, learning disabilities, chronic illness care, foster care, and adoption-related settings.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) licensed in New York and practices from New York.
Which languages are available for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Does she work with international clients?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin therapy with her?
Select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to the therapist's availability.