- 30 years experience
- Skill focused care
- Michigan based
About Ruth
Ruth Westfall, LMSW, brings three decades of clinical experience to her work with people facing anxiety, stress, trauma, and life changes. She focuses on practical steps that help clients feel steadier day to day. Her manner is direct and compassionate, aiming to help people recognize strengths and build skills that support recovery and coping.
She has long worked with trauma and victims of crime and later saw how widespread stress and trauma grew during the COVID-19 pandemic while collaborating with a psychiatric nurse practitioner at a public health center. That experience shaped her view that emotional strain affects many parts of life, including health, work, education, relationships, and substance use.
Ruth uses straightforward, skill-based approaches to help people manage symptoms of anxiety, depression, panic, and mood disorders. She emphasizes learning tools you can use between sessions. Sessions often include practical strategies for emotion regulation, grounding, and behavior change.
She also supports people dealing with caregiving strain, domestic violence impacts, grief, and challenges related to identity and relationships. Her work includes attention to social anxiety, panic disorder and panic attacks, seasonal mood shifts, and issues tied to trauma and sexual assault.
Clients can expect a collaborative process that starts with identifying immediate needs and building on strengths. Ruth blends client-centered listening with cognitive and mindfulness techniques to help people set realistic goals and practice new ways of coping.
How therapeutic approaches translate to online care
Ruth uses cognitive behavioral therapy to help people identify unhelpful thoughts and change small patterns of behavior. CBT often includes homework-like steps such as tracking thoughts, testing beliefs, and practicing new responses to anxiety or panic.She also draws on client-centered therapy, which means she starts by listening closely and shaping sessions around each person’s concerns and goals. That approach helps build trust and makes skill practice feel relevant to everyday life.
Finding the right way to work together is a joint process. Ruth will talk with clients about goals, try approaches that fit their needs, and adjust methods if something isn’t helpful. The aim is to find strategies that feel manageable and useful between sessions.
Session formats are not specified in the biography, so please confirm current options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit appointments into busy schedules, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It also makes regular practice and follow-up simpler by letting people connect from wherever they are able to join, helping therapy fit into daily life rather than replace it.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
30+ years
Listed in
Michigan
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Ruth commonly address?
Ruth works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, depression, panic disorder and panic attacks, and related issues like grief, caregiver strain, and social anxiety.
What is her general therapy style?
She combines client-centered listening with practical techniques. Sessions focus on skills to manage emotions, behavior, and everyday challenges.
How much experience does she have?
Ruth has 30 years of experience working as a therapist, including long-term work with trauma and victims of crime.
What credentials and region does she represent?
She holds an LMSW, which stands for Licensed Master Social Worker, and practices in Michigan.
Which languages are available for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the United States work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are sessions paid for and what is the cost structure?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with Ruth?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and scheduling according to therapist availability.