I’m Moira Ryan (she/her), a licensed therapist, community programmer, clinical supervisor, and soundbath facilitator based in Portland, Oregon. I’ve been doing this work in various forms for over fifteen years — in therapy offices, community rooms, nonprofit settings, university classrooms, and around a lot of tables with a lot of people who were figuring things out.
My clinical specializations are: person-centered therapy, TGD health and wellness, women and nonbinary folks in tech work, and social anxiety. I believe everybody has the resources inside themselves to make changes toward becoming more connected and complex — my job is to help them find and use those resources. I wrote about this approach in this article (page 25) if you want the longer version.
I’m licensed in Oregon and Pennsylvania, and I hold a number of additional credentials that reflect where my curiosity has taken me over the years.
The Community Work
Some of the work I’m most proud of has happened outside the therapy room entirely.
I built a wellness program at Central City Concern from scratch — starting from an occupational therapist’s assistant role and transforming it into a community arts and wellness initiative that tripled weekly attendance, produced a client art exhibition, and created a culturally diverse beginners cookbook through community-led workshops. I developed a 13-week peer support skills class, created peer leadership opportunities for clients, and recruited people with lived experience to lead and co-lead groups.
At Open Space Counseling I built a full internship infrastructure from the ground up — interview protocols, onboarding, pre/post assessment surveys, a policy handbook, and curated academic resources — serving four to six counseling interns annually. I’ve also led documentation redesigns, built AI-assisted onboarding modules, and developed subprograms and group processes at agencies ranging from small group practices to large community health organizations.
I’m available to consult on program design, curriculum development, and advanced person-centered approaches — including, yes, how to have fun with empathy interviews — for nonprofits and community health organizations.
Education
MA, Counseling Psychology and Addiction Studies – Lewis & Clark College
BA, Psychology – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Associations
In 2017 I was honored to receive the Human Rights Award from the Oregon Counseling Association, which recognizes counselors who have demonstrated an exemplary commitment to human rights and human dignity. I try to live up to that award on a daily basis.
I’m a member of Oregon SAIGE, WPATH, and GLMA. I believe in mutual aid, and I put my money where my mouth is — I’m a card-carrying member of the ACLU, NAACP, Southern Poverty Law Center, Human Rights Campaign, Planned Parenthood, and the American Red Cross, and a regular donor to Everytown USA and the International Rescue Committee.
Moira Ryan, LPC 