Today we’d like to introduce you to Tobias Ryan.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am a writer and psychologist in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington. It is a great privilege to be asked to share my story with the Voyage Washington Magazine. When I was contacted in July 2026 and asked to participate in a profile on my work, I felt humbled at the opportunity.
I started writing essays, poetry, and stories in elementary school. A poem I wrote in 1989, a tribute to an evening star, still exists, and I published it in my most recent book, River West. My family still has a recording of me reading an essay about my hometown at a ceremony in that same year. I was later captain of my school’s debate team, and we toured the Pacific Northwest competing in regional and state Lincoln-Douglas debate tournaments. I wrote all of my own speeches and arguments.
At the same time, my interest in science was always very strong. My high school supported my participation at state and regional competitions in Chemistry; one year my team built an electrochemical cell out of a lemon. By the time I started college, I also knew I wanted to write. I was a winner of a poetry competition in my Sophomore year, and recorded my first album, Spring Harvest, after I graduated. It was the first of several albums, and happily I have had great musical collaborators over the years. This included a band called Outside Voices in Portland, Oregon. We performed, recorded, and wrote together. I wrote and directed the music for several Shakespeare plays between 2010 and 2012. All of this music is still available online. I published many of my original songs and the music I composed for Much Ado About Nothing, Cymbeline, Hamlet, and Othello in a book I called Songs Between Seasons.
Leaving home at 17, I spent several years away, including a little time abroad. Once I returned, I was offered opportunities to teach, but pursued a graduate degree so I could conduct research and work professionally with children and families. I studied Clinical Psychology, specializing in Child Development, Multicultural Psychology, Domestic Violence/Intimate Partner Violence, and Personality Assessment. Through the years, I kept writing. Alongside a thesis and a dissertation, I wrote a book of sonnets called Bluest Hour. After graduation and licensure in Oregon and Washington State, I was fortunate to be a part of several writing teams researching psychological testing and multicultural education.
In the future, I hope to keep working with families as I do now in my independent psychology practice in Vancouver, Washington. I see children as young as 2 years old, and I work with adults in different phases of life on challenges that disrupt relationships. My next writing projects are two novels, both about families working to stay together as they face uncertain futures, which I hope to share with publishers over the next couple of years.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Obstacles are part of any creative experience, I believe. At times, I find it challenging to surrender to an interest. I don’t always want to spend the time it takes to follow an idea to completion. I have had strong teachers my whole life who encouraged me. Even after I have a song, a poem, or a story finished, I still find it difficult to decide if and how to share it. Being grounded in good relationships helps me because I can trust the people I care for most to help me pursue my best inspirations.
I would like to add a word about commercialization. It has been my experience that sharing my work may challenge others’ perceptions. I offer pro bono services in my psychology practice, and I do not focus on profit in my creative work. To anyone interested in starting a practice, or even just putting pen to paper, I would offer encouragement to keep working. Feedback can guide you, but it cannot replace your own sense of purpose.
I benefited enormously from social programs in the United States that support young people trying to get jobs or an education. In the 1990s, both of my parents were unemployed. Government loan programs from 1995 helped me work my way through college and graduate school. My first job was with my college campus police station; in graduate school, I worked late hours at a crisis line. By the time I was ready to start my professional career, government programs from 2009 helped make loan repayment affordable. I was able to share my creative work with my community in 2010 and lived in an artist cooperative for a few years while I started my practice and directed the music for theatre companies in Portland, Oregon; local government grants made these opportunities possible. From the start, I offered pro bono therapy services and low-cost assessments for families and government agencies, so that I could contribute to the kind of outreach that helped me. I continue these practices today. Volunteer work is a core principle in my creative and professional life.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Riverbridge Psychological Services, LLC?
My website, tobiasryan.com, has information about my practice and testimonials from over the last 30 years. At the same time, tobiasryan.com offers me a way to share my writing and my music. In my psychology practice, I support children and families, but I also mentor young professionals, having taught for years at the University of Portland. I have partnered with Oregon and Washington family courts, government agencies, and veterans’ organizations since 2011. The mission of my psychology practice is to reach those new to mental health services. My creative work sustains my professional work; I see myself as a local poet.
Find me online:
Website: tobiasryan.com
Research: researchgate.net (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tobias-Ryan-2)
Publications: https://www.amazon.com/author/tobiasa.ryan
Music: https://tobiasryan.bandcamp.com
Professional page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drtobiasryan/
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love Vancouver as a place to work and a place to spend time. This city has kept its history close, and I admire that tremendously. I work at the Providence Academy, a beautiful building with a storied past. Fort Vancouver National Park is a place I treasure and have shared with my family and friends for years.
Contact Info:
- Website: tobiasryan.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drtobiasryan/
- Other: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tobias-Ryan-2
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