Deborah Ranker (she/her)
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Meet Deborah
Hi, I’m Deborah, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and psychotherapist in Portland, Oregon. I specialize in providing trauma-informed therapy to adults on a variety of issues, including anxiety, depression, trauma recovery—including childhood trauma and spiritual abuse—and relationship challenges.
Like many of my clients, I’m a highly empathetic person. My family tells me that as a child, I could walk into a room and immediately sense if anyone was upset and then would try to comfort them. I got into volunteering in high school, and after college I had a nonprofit career addressing issues of prison reform, racial justice, and education equity. Those experiences shaped my social justice values and also made me realize that I enjoy working for change on a personal level, which led me to a career in counseling.
After graduating with a Master’s in Social Work from New York University in 2012, I moved to Portland to be closer to nature and put down roots. I spent a number of years working in residential and outpatient community mental health organizations before moving into private practice. I started Portland Collaborative Therapy in 2020 in order to be able to provide services in a way that resonates with my personal values and interests.
Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my friends and family, being out in nature, reading for pleasure, and learning about psychology and spirituality.
If you’d like to explore working together, I invite you to book a free consultation. I look forward to hearing from you.
Background and training
Licensure
Licensed Clinical Social Worker #L6761 (Oregon)
Education
Master’s of Social Work, New York University, 2012
Bachelor of Arts, English Literature, University of Cincinnati, 2002
Additional training
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
Attachment-focused EMDR
Brainspotting® Level I
Health At Every Size
Counseling for LGBTQIA2+ communities
Trauma-informed care
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Compassion-Focused Therapy
Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy
About Portland Collaborative Therapy
I started Portland Collaborative Therapy in 2020 in hopes of creating an inclusive and welcoming healing space with social-justice values.
As a mental health professional, I am committed to dismantling racism, classism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, fatphobia, and other systems of oppression.
I prioritize providing comprehensive and compassionate care to those experiencing systemic oppression. I know there is always a learning curve in these areas, so I continually pursue training and learn best practices for providing culturally-sensitive care to diverse clients.
I strive to be culturally humble, anti-racist, trauma-informed, weight-inclusive, and LGBTQIA2+ affirming in my practice. I am sex-positive and kink/poly-friendly as well.
