Patrick R. Maloney, MSW, LCSW, CAC III

One former client told me that when life gets complicated, they ask themselves, "What would Patrick say?" Others have told me, over and over, "That makes sense." That's what I hope you'll find here: not just support, but understanding. I want you to see why you feel what you feel, how a pattern took hold, and what might work better.

I've worked in mental health for more than 41 years. I began in community mental health right after earning my social work degree, and spent about 15 years there as a case manager, clinician, trainer, supervisor, and manager. I opened Wisdom Counseling in 1999. Many of my clients return over the years when something new arises. I take that as the highest compliment.

How I work

Everyone who walks into my office is treated with dignity and worth, regardless of their behavior, their history, or how past treatment has gone. I've watched people visibly change when they experience that. They sit a little taller, their shoulders soften, and they look more at ease and more like themselves. Real work becomes possible from that place.

Much of what I do is help people understand the purpose of things: what an emotion is for, what role a substance has come to play, or what a relationship pattern is trying to accomplish. I often describe our emotional life as a dashboard of gauges rather than a panel of warning lights. Anger, sadness, fear, guilt, and joy each carry information. When we understand what they're telling us, we can respond instead of react.

I draw on a range of methods, including EMDR for trauma, and I adapt to the person in front of me rather than fitting anyone to a single technique.

Addiction and mental health, together

I hold both a clinical social work license and Colorado's highest level of addiction counselor certification, supervisor level (CAC III). Substance use and emotional struggles often travel together, and I can treat both in one place, so you don't have to tell your story twice.

Couples and families

A great deal of my work is with relationships: couples hoping to reconnect or repair, and families navigating change. My wife Beth and I have been married since 1985, so I know good relationships take ongoing attention. 

Faith, if you want it

I often say that good mental health is good spiritual health, and good spiritual health is good mental health. They are not opposed. For clients who want it, I welcome faith into our work. That might mean exploring how your faith formation shaped you, or drawing on it as a resource going forward. For those who want it, it can mean fully aligning mental and spiritual health. I'm a trained spiritual director and come from a Christian and Catholic background.

I'm also aware that some people have been hurt by those who misused religious authority. If that's part of your story, you'll find a safe, unhurried place to sort through it, with no agenda about where you land.

For clients who'd rather leave faith aside, that's equally welcome. You set the direction.

Training and credentials

• Bachelor of Arts in Social Work, Colorado State University

• Master of Social Work, University of Denver, with psychiatric social work training through an NIMH traineeship

• Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Colorado

• Certified Addiction Counselor III (Clinical Supervisor), Colorado

• EMDR trained

• Trained spiritual director, 1999

Where to find me

I see clients in person at my office near Southwest Plaza in Littleton, and online. I have been located here for about 5 years, and a nice symmetry to this building: from 1998 to 2000, I managed the Jefferson Center for Mental Health's south office here, one floor below where I practice today. Office 9200 W Cross Dr, #510, Littleton, CO 80123    Phone 720-981-3480