Works with
- Anger
- Stress, Anxiety
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- ADHD
How Colleen works
Practical facts
- Credentials
- LCSW
- Licensed in
- New York
- Years in practice
- 35
- Languages
- English
- Session format
- Online, through our partner platform
About Colleen
Dr. Colleen Downes is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who helps people manage stress, anger, anxiety, depression, and relationship strain. She brings 35 years of experience and a calm, respectful presence to conversations about parenting, caregiving, career challenges, ADHD, grief, and coping with life changes.
Her style is warm and interactive. She listens first, and then helps people shape clear goals. Sessions focus on practical steps and honest reflection rather than jargon.
Background and approach
Many clients work on managing reactions, reducing impulsivity, and improving communication. Dr. Downes draws on client-centered and psychodynamic ideas to understand what matters most to each person.
She also uses mindfulness and solution-focused techniques to build short-term coping skills and long-term insight. Together these approaches help people notice patterns and try new ways of responding. She has a long history of working with people facing chronic illness, adoption and foster care concerns, caregiver stress, and family of origin issues.
That background informs how she supports someone dealing with health problems, fertility or cancer-related worries, and blended family stress. In sessions she guides practical next steps as well as deeper reflection about past experiences. The work often includes learning simple mindfulness practices, finding strategies to manage strong emotions, and setting achievable goals for daily life.
Dr. Downes aims to help people feel more in control and better able to handle hard moments.
What Colleen works with
Everything Colleen lists, in the therapist's own terms. Anger is the reason this directory exists; the rest tells you what usually sits alongside it in Colleen's practice.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- ADHD
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Blended family issues
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fertility issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Immigration issues
- Impulsivity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Multicultural concerns
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Traumatic brain injury
- Visually impaired
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Colleen lists
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
Approach and benefits of online therapy
Dr. Downes uses client-centered and mindfulness methods to guide online work. Client-centered therapy focuses on listening closely and following the person’s priorities, which helps when someone wants practical support for stress, anger, or relationship issues. Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple practices for noticing thoughts and body sensations, useful for managing impulsivity, anxiety, and strong reactions.Finding the right way of working is part of the process. She collaborates with each person to identify which approaches fit their goals and daily life. That might mean focusing on short-term solution steps one week and reflecting on early life patterns the next, depending on what the client needs.
Online sessions are offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make the work flexible. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation for deeper dialog. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Messaging and live chat suit quick check-ins, brief coaching, and follow-up between longer sessions. These options help people fit therapy into busy schedules and varied routines.
Questions people ask about Colleen
What kinds of problems does she help with?
She supports people with stress, anger, anxiety, depression, relationship strain, parenting concerns, ADHD, grief, trauma and coping with life changes.
What is her therapy style like?
Her approach is warm and interactive. She listens closely, helps set goals, and combines practical coping strategies with deeper reflection.
How much experience does she have?
She has 35 years of experience working in mental health, learning disabilities, chronic illness care, foster care, and adoption-related work.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW, licensed in New York and practices from that region.
Which languages are used in sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
Sessions can be scheduled as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.
How are costs handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.