Nationally Certified Trainer in Psychodrama, Sociometry, and Group Psychotherapy - certification is by the American Board and requires well over 1000 hours of coursework and practice, supervision, two national written exams, two on-site (live) examinations of the trainee's work, and endorsements by the supervising trainers. This course usually takes a minimum of five years to attain.

Licensed Physical Therapist - state licensing for physical therapy which requires coursework and passing of state licensing examinations. Licensed in both New York and Oregon.

Modern Analytic Training - Advanced training in group methods as practiced in the modern analytic method. I have been involved in this training for the past six years.

creativity enhancement; health/medical problems; cross-cultural and inter-racial couples issues; anxiety/depression; spirituality; alcohol related family and couples issues; recovery and co-dependence; personality disorders; adjustment to disability/aging, divorce/separation, grief/loss, "body-mind" issues, traversing life transitions.

Personal Growth: Co-ed therapy groups, Women's therapy groups, Psychodrama groups, Weekend workshops.

Professional Trainings: Group therapy and/or psychodrama, Consultation, Weekend training workshops, Therapy group for therapists.

Ruth has a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology which she received from Pacific University in 1987, a Masters degree in Psychology which she received from New York University in 1975 a Bachelor of Science degree from Ithaca College with a major in Physical Therapy in 1966, national certification as a Certified Group Therapist, and as a Trainer in Psychodrama, Group Therapy, and Sociometry.

She has worked with and helped many individuals, couples, and groups in the field of personal growth/mental health.  To keep her own skills sharp, she continues to supervise other therapists and teach.  Currently she teaches at Pacific University (Departments of Professional Psychology and Physical Therapy), the Oregon Health Sciences University (Department of Psychiatry), and Marylhurst College (Department of Art Therapy).  She has been a supervisor at the Psychological Service Center and a consultant at Inact (an alcohol/drug treatment center). Prior to her work in psychology, she worked as a physical therapist for ten years in various hospital and outpatient settings, taught, and supervised.

Medically Ill

“Each person is unique. Each individual’s situation is worth evaluating carefully so that optimal solutions can be found.” 

Because you are unique with your own learning style and set of circumstances, each therapy is customized to your individual needs and situation. I offer my clinical knowledge and information based on years of training, living, and clinical experience.

When people enter my office, they are usually anxious and in some type of emotional distress.  I provide a quiet place in which they can voice their concerns and an attentive listener who can guide them through their process.

Many people in distress are often confused and cannot see their full range of choices. I help them sort out their options, get clearer about what they think and feel, and make decisions.

This therapy tends to be emotionally and spiritually healing – and intellectually interesting. Because it is quite interact ional and because I believe strongly in intuition, the work I do also fosters creativity and enhances relationships. 

I have worked in healthcare for 30 years and have extensive training in various types of therapy – Gestalt, psychodynamic, psychodrama, group work, and couples counseling.  Therapy may consist of quiet internal reflection, dream work, or some type of interaction with others such as group therapy or couples counseling. 

As many of us have found, relationships can be both rewarding and problematic. 

For the past 10 years I have become increasingly interested in the interactions between people, and realized that many therapists are not trained well in this area, even though we often work with couples and families. This interest has shifted the way I do therapy – it is quite interact ional, so the client and I are often involved in a two-way conversation.  This makes the therapy much more engaging for the client and more fun for me. 

            Therapy should not overlook the important fact that much of our daily lives are spent relating to others (co-workers, employers, family members, friends, business clientele). Interactional therapy can focus on this part of our lives that is often problematic. For example, some people are so frightened of engaging with others that they avoid them as much as possible; others tend to deal with their anxieties by continually fighting with others; others become subservient. Some of us have been emotionally injured in our families, overlooked in our workplaces, or neglected by our friends.  Sometimes we unknowingly carry this emotional baggage into current relationships. We may not understand what is going wrong in these current relationships, so we are at odds to fix it. Sometimes we can see a pattern in which we are caught, but have no idea how to stop or change it.

            All these problems are ideal for group therapy, couples therapy, or a combination of individual and group therapy.